Campus-based public policy institutes with local, state, and regional orientations may play a profound role in shaping New England's future by addressing a variety of issues, including achieving quality in public schools, access to health care and other social services, job creation, environmental protection and creation of livable communities,…

Proposed a conceptual framework for analyzing kinship care policy that uses five new permanency outcomes. Concluded that, in formulating their own policies, states must separate a caregiver's need for support (money and services) from a child's need for supervision (casework oversight). Concludes that states must proceed cautiously in altering…

Presents a case study of the development of kinship care policy in Illinois due to court decisions regarding the provision of financial support to relatives acting as foster parents. Compares recent reform of kinship care policies in Illinois with welfare reform efforts across the country and their national implications. (SD)

Explores the intersection of geography and politics in U.S. public policy development and connects this to several of the National Geography Standards. Discusses contemporary issues including economic interdependence, the impact of migration, resource competition, cultural values, and environmental issues. Offers suggested student activities. (MJP)

Outlines three approaches to exploring gender-sensitive political geography: (1) examining formal (voting and holding office) and informal (activism and interest groups) political activity; (2) delineating the variety of gender-based power constructs; and (3) reviewing recent policy developments, specifically the Family and Medical leave Act of…

Considers the problematic nature of the role of the state in developing nations' education, specifically Latin American education. Analyzes several major challenges: (1) reconciling bureaucratic efficiency with educational equity; (2) allocating dwindling resources to ensure both basic adult education and higher education capable of producing…

Budget reforms adopted at the University of Montana and by the Arkansas state higher education system illustrate a variety of strategies for long-range planning. These efforts include reform of faculty collective bargaining, funding based on productivity enhancement, and a multiyear fiscal plan encompassing both operating and capital budgets. (MSE)

Examines several recent decisions of the more conservative and constructionist Rehnquist Supreme Court. Discusses those judgements that challenge the regulatory power of the federal government. In separate cases concerning mandatory retirement of state judges and regulating toxic waste clean-up, the high court ruled in favor of state control. (MJP)

The School Health Policies and Programs Study assessed school health services and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection policies at state, district, and school levels. Questionnaires indicated that many states required schools to offer health services and maintain immunization and health records. A majority of states required policies for…

Maintains that, although many suffrage supporters anticipated a new political age after passage of the 19th Amendment, women have begun to realize their electoral potential only in recent years. Describes the role of women in politics and political opinion from the 1920s to the present. (CFR)

Describes a computer software program where students define alternative policy sets and compare their effects on the welfare of consumers, producers, and the public sector. Policy sets may be a single tax or quota or a mix of taxes, subsidies, and/or price supports implemented in the marketing chain. (MJP)

The focus of this article is a research and development project underway in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The project is Toronto First Duty, reflecting that the "first duty of a state is to see that every child born therein shall be well-housed, clothed, fed, and educated, till it attain years of discretion," according to 19th century…

A school-year research experiment using primary resources to teach an important national issue--protest movements against the Vietnam War at the local level--is an excellent way to motivate students and energize classroom teaching. Every local community in America has its own story to tell about the war in Vietnam. Whether it is about a local son…

Male violence is an enduring feature of women's lives from childhood through old age. The review covers child sexual abuse, rape, and partner violence with emphasis on the prevalence of violence, its mental health consequences, the course of recovery, and mediators and moderators of traumatic impact. The primary focus is depression and…

The Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law is the nation's leading legal advocate for the rights of adults and children with mental disabilities. The Center uses a coordinated strategy of federal policy advocacy, legal support for a nationwide network of advocates, and creation of educational materials to help families, professionals,…