As anyone in the classroom knows, connecting historical learning to a real situation magnifies that learning tremendously. Helping students understand that they can indeed play a role in policymaking is invaluable. In this article, the author invites young students to consider weighing the importance of different historical figures--and possibly…

Obtaining representative samples from populations of emerging adults who do not attend college is challenging for researchers. This article introduces respondent-driven sampling (RDS), a method for obtaining representative samples of hard-to-reach but socially interconnected populations. RDS combines a prescribed method for chain referral with a…

Congressional scholars have long analyzed legislative behavior by examining roll call votes. The study of roll call votes has rarely been extended to particular policy areas, with a few exceptions, such as abortion and environmental issues. This study examines roll call voting in the area of higher education policy. In examining voting patterns…

The purpose of this descriptive, single case study was to provide knowledge and insight about state education policy-making, specifically, the process by which education-related bills pass through a legislature. This study was also designed to identify factors of influence shaping legislative decision-making as perceived by lawmakers and observers…

The Benjamin Gilman International Scholarship Program, founded in 2000 as a means to fund study abroad for low-income students, has become the largest federally funded scholarship program for study abroad at the undergraduate level, with more than 2,300 recipients in academic year (AY) 2010-2011. Interviews with former Congressman Benjamin Gilman,…

Policies in California are examined to inform analysts of the process by which legal recognition of same-sex relationships may be achieved. Content analysis was conducted of relevant legislation, court cases, and voter initiatives, along with interviews with state legislators to gain an eyewitness understanding of the social climate surrounding…

Efforts by state legislators to curtail collective bargaining or destroy public-sector unions, abolish tenure, and decrease funding for education are spreading throughout the country. This author states that the scapegoating and vilification of unions and teachers, however, are not new. The current attacks have historical parallels, when cries of…

A take-charge "people person," Kurt Kondrich began his career in law enforcement in 1985, when he graduated with a criminology degree and landed a job with the Atlanta Police Department. Six years later, he became deputy sheriff in Fort Meyers, Florida, but missed his family in Pittsburgh. So in 1993, when he heard that his hometown police…

A prevailing notion among higher education leaders is that public relations and marketing efforts must be intensified to boost legislative support for colleges and universities. However, this view fails to consider whether the academy might increase its standing among legislators and the general public by becoming more productively engaged in…

Despite bleak fiscal conditions that could thwart some of their priorities, governors and state lawmakers--bolstered in some cases by new Republican majorities--are expected to press forward this year with ambitious education proposals that could include changing teacher job protections and expanding school choice. Newly elected and returning…

Today's school librarians are taking the lead with legislative advocacy for education and their efforts are beginning to have an impact on legislation. Advocates for school library programs in the state of Washington made historic legislative in-roads in 2009 with the passage of Substitute House Bill 2261. Arguably, the most important factor in…

Aging of the U.S. population raises numerous public policy issues about which gerontological researchers, policy experts, and practitioners have much to contribute. However, the means by which aging-related public policy is influenced are not always apparent. Drawing on experience working in the U.S. Senate and other settings as Health and Aging…

Virtually all voucher programs in the United States limit vouchers to a large struggling city such as Cleveland, Milwaukee, or the District of Columbia. This study examines the votes cast by 188 Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives who cast votes on (a) a nationwide voucher plan in 2001 and (b) a 2003 proposal for vouchers for DC. This…

Background: The School Health Index (SHI) is a tool designed to help schools assess the extent to which they are implementing practices included in the research-based guidelines and strategies for school health and safety programs developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). CDC previously analyzed data from the 2000 School…

Public university systems and institutions actively engage in legislative relations efforts with elected representatives who comprise state legislative bodies. Historically, the primary impetus for fostering legislative relations was to leverage appropriations. Funding issues remain an important component of higher education's interactions…