A study of Florida's "school accountability" reform examined Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) scores in Orange County. It was found that percentages of low-income, gifted, and Black students in a school population could predict the FCAT score with 80-86 percent accuracy. The testing process creates a self-fulfilling prophecy.…

This article draws a link between student development concepts and the institutional policies colleges formulate and implement. This article offers seven observations intended to guide institutional policymakers in light of the propositions about development identified by Strange (1994). (67 references) (Author/RB)

The proposed revision of the methodology for measuring poverty in the United States would put the nonmetropolitan poverty rate lower than the metropolitan rate, a reversal due mostly to the cost-of-housing adjustment. Details projected changes in the measured poverty of nonmetropolitan and metropolitan population groups. (TD)

Examines Canadian child care and child care policy in light of four goals: alleviating poverty, fostering equality for women, providing early education and child development services, and promoting economic well-being. Examples are provided to show the practical application of policy to meet each of the goals. An analysis of current child care…

Reports that Harvard University Medical School is considering policy changes that would ease financial restrictions in its conflict-of-interest standards for faculty researchers. Supporters argue that such changes are necessary to attract and retain top researchers, but ethicists warn that as collaborations between industry and academic medicine…

Examines policies and processes hindering homeless children's access to appropriate educational provision in the United Kingdom, painting a stark, depressing picture. Case-study research reveals the fruitlessness of blaming homeless children's poor school performance on family inadequacies. From a social-reaction perspective, the education system…

Examined differences in divorced (n=1,916) and never-married (n=878) single mothers' decisions to participate in Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC). Divorced mothers were twice as likely to receive AFDC benefits as never-married mothers. Discusses differences in AFDC decision-making processes and suggests ways to move single mothers…

Describes the founding, organization and structure, and relationship between social issues and funders of the Institute for Policy Research at Northwestern University. The institute's history and research have been marked by a commitment to societal concerns such as poverty, crime, race and inequality, social welfare policy, and community…

Using data from the 1997 and 1999 National Surveys of America's Families, the authors examine the consequences of state welfare policies and practices on the living arrangements of low-income families with children. Results from a multivariate difference-in-difference-in-differences model suggest that more effective collection of child support and…

Accountability and reporting mechanisms go hand in hand with government programs that promote workforce development. This chapter describes current practice in the United States and suggests how institutional researchers can help improve the process of documenting outcomes. (Contains 1 table.)

Inclusion is a Term and process that is culturally, politically, medically, philosophically, and historically relative in its interpretations in the education of the deaf. The present study is a comparative analysis of two substantially different education systems for deaf students, those of Norway and Australia. The study objective was to…

This study uses multilevel modeling to examine, after taking student-level predictors of enrollment into account, the effects of state public policies on the type of institution high school graduates attend. Four types of state policies (direct appropriations, tuition, financial aid, and K-12 academic preparation) influence the type of college…

Although numerous theories have been proffered, to date activist boards are an empirically unexamined force in public higher education governance. Using the concept of institutional entrepreneurship, this case study examines the reciprocal role that board members and staff played in the organizational development of board activism. In the case of…

This article identifies the international and domestic drivers of current changes in China's higher education. It then touches on the national agenda and policy concerning reforms in China's higher education since the 1990s. By arguing factors that are affecting and will affect changes, it is pointed out that two focuses can be seen in recent…

This account reports on a commissioned strategic evaluation undertaken for the Australian National Training Authority on the qualitative impact of the introduction of Training Packages on vocational education and training clients. The research involved collecting the views of over 200 VET practitioners, bureaucrats and administrators, industry…