"Blue-ribbon" commissions are an increasingly common feature of the American political landscape. This book examines the roles that blue-ribbon commissions and their reports have played in educational policymaking. The book begins with a foreword by Paul E. Peterson and an introductory chapter, "Commissions and Change" by Rick Ginsberg and David…

To investigate what is meant by the term "radio studies," a study analyzed 156 randomly selected scholarly communication journal articles pertinent to the radio broadcasting industry. Articles were chosen through the use of Matlon and Ortiz's (1992) "Index to Journals in Communication Studies through 1990." A master…

Following the passage of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act, a Senate hearing was held to examine whether the prescriptions set forth in the Act could function and how they could be implemented as part of the U.S. government's drug strategy. This transcript of the hearing contains statements (in order) by: Senators Joseph R. Biden…

Despite Dewey's influence on educational thought, those with progressive visions of democratic education are generally on the margins of educational policy and practice. One notable exception was the "Eight-Year Study," a landmark attempt to design, implement, and evaluate democratic secondary schools. The Eight-Year Study was begun in…

During the past decade, Connecticut has implemented major changes in the public education system. To assess these changes, Mazzoni's revised arena model was used to analyze the state's educational policy development since 1980. The results of this research are reported here. The paper outlines the theoretical framework of the model and how it can…

The Best Practices Project of the Family Resource Coalition of American (FRCA) began in 1991 with the aim of meeting the need for better definition and articulation of what constitutes best practice in family support programs. This monograph, the third in a series of four, reports on some of the ideas about cultural democracy which have generated…

A study explored the changes in the federal role in education prior to and after the May 1980 Implementation Plan for the U.S. Department of Education (ED). The documents related to the creation of ED determine if any change in the federal role in education was expressed through program components included in the new ED, and those programs not…

A small federal program piloting tax credit bonds to support school construction, the Qualified Zone Academy Bond (QZAB), has existed since 1997--providing evidence of how tax credit bonds could work. This paper analyzes the results of QZABs to date in order to inform policymakers, advance the debate over federal school construction aid, and…

This paper uses the charter-school legislation of three states-Arizona, California, and Michigan--as a lens to understand the policy values embodied in school--choice reforms. It questions the prevailing rubrics of the Center for Education Reform and the American Federation of Teachers. Briefly stated, the former ranks laws as either…

This issue paper focuses on School Choice (the option to transfer to another public school when a school is identified for "improvement") and how it may affect children with disabilities. It begins with a brief discussion of when school choice kicks in under NCLB, followed by a detailed discussion of the legal requirements that apply…

Homelessness has a devastating impact on children. School provides stability and a sense of continuity during an otherwise chaotic time, as well as access to other comprehensive services, both inside and outside the school, such as meals, health care, counseling, and recreation. But despite their desperate need, homeless children face high, often…

This issue paper is the first in a series commissioned by the Education Commission of the States on issues relating to superintendent and school-board leadership. The study from which this paper derives builds on earlier studies that focused on characteristics and demographics of the superintendency, and on the status of relations and functions of…

One of four being published on a five-state project on the dynamics of child care subsidy use, this report provides a detailed look at families receiving child care subsidies in Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Oregon, and Texas, and the factors associated with length of subsidy receipt and provider stability. Data were collected and analyzed by…

This manual is intended as a do it yourself tool for helping organizations develop an approach that will enhance the quality of career counseling services. It is aimed at demystifying evaluation planning and presents a framework so that the evaluation process leads to continuous improvement in meeting client expectations. It also helps validate…

This book examines why most charter schools will fail. It opens with a historical overview, describing the fate and significance of the precursor to charter schools: President Nixon's Experimental Schools Program. It then turns to the author's personal experiences in educational theory and practice, presenting and discussing the essential features…