Offers points for consideration by both school boards and charter-school advocates. Important elements of a successful charter school include vision, hands-on administrators, a commitment to staff development, and founders who also serve as maintainers. (LMI)

Identifies, classifies, and describes the range of cost studies in education and how they may contribute to improved policy analysis. Presents three examples illustrating applications of cost analysis, and reflects on key issues from previous applications in educational policymaking and evaluation. (SLD)

Analyzes implications of recent Australian vocational education and training (VET) policies and the effectiveness of the technical and further education system in achieving policy aims. Stresses the need for involvement of VET practitioners in policy making. (SK)

Usable responses from 106 of 199 Dutch human resources practitioners in industry, transportation, and banking revealed significant differences in human resource policymaking and strategic choices among these sectors. Better interaction between policymakers and human resource departments is needed to align personnel practices with company needs.…

Arguing that empowering research techniques cannot, in and of themselves, inform and support the political aspirations of emancipatory intervention, this article outlines a critical approach to evaluation more consistent with the principles of empowering intervention. The Canadian Treasury Board's guide to program evaluation is used as an example.…

Describes a national advocacy campaign to preserve funding for specialized services for older people with visual impairments. Outlines steps for developing a similar campaign, including: identifying critical issues, identifying key decision makers, developing a clear message, determining desired results, identifying potential advocates, and…

The United States has taken only piecemeal steps to ensure privacy of personal information. This article examines the U.S. relating to privacy and data protection. It defines privacy and discusses international agreements relating to privacy, federal data protection laws, and narrowly applicable laws. (AEF)

This article describes the types of early childhood special education transitions that have or have not received federal or state policy development. It is suggested that bi-directional influences on transition policy have connected the decisions of policymakers at multiple levels with the actions and advocacy of family and practitioner…

Discusses evaluation in terms of what can be expected, changes in the use of evaluation methods, and the importance of evaluation credibility. Notes that evaluation has improved in practice and in decision-maker support for it; credible evaluations are now typically incorporated into policy and have become a routine organizational practice. (AEF)

Four different kinds of evaluation suppliers are examined: professionals, specialists, craftsmen, and amateurs. Three surveys undertaken by the European Commission on the framework of structural policies indicate that Europe is experiencing a shift from amateurs toward craftsmen toward specialists. Two tables show responses to evaluation criteria.…

Issues in developing educational policy concerning foreign students in Australia are discussed. It is argued that the economic policy context in which foreign students are received has tended to obscure Australia's liberal democratic values, and that those values must be reasserted so that foreign students can be seen as individuals rather than as…

The privacy aspect of e-mail is a touchy subject. "Erased" computer files can easily be restored with simple software. Some public agencies are required to retain backup files on computer data and information. E-mail might also be subject to freedom-of-information access, depending how a "record" or "document" is defined. Also, e-mail exchanges…

Discussions about the ethics of migration require both a realistic approach that focuses on what is possible given the existing realities and an idealistic approach that requires policymakers to assess current reality in light of the nation's highest ideals. Migration issues require a full range of perspectives. (SLD)

In different ways, J. Carens and M. Weiner have overlooked important ethical issues raised by the human migration phenomenon. Weiner avoids moral issues in his conceptualization of alien admissions, and Carens focuses too intensely on the issue of whether national borders can be justified or not. (SLD)

Transcribes an interview conducted with Anne Jones, a counselor-practitioner and policymaker, in 1992. Explores some of the ways in which the interpersonal and organizational skills she developed in each role influenced the way she carried out her responsibilities in others. (JPS)