This monograph presents information on the Mary E. Switzer Seminars, five major papers concerned with vocational rehabilitation of people with disabilities, two shorter papers, and four invited guest reaction papers. The following major papers are presented: (1) "Toward Researching a National Employment Policy for Persons with…

This report examines research on education vouchers. It discusses how most studies have focused on the systems in place in Milwaukee, Cleveland, and New York City. Although researchers have accused each other of specious findings, some generally consistent results have arisen: families that are served by vouchers are generally low income, parents…

Drawing on the Los Angeles Unified School District's experiences with charter schools, this brief highlights the difficulties in balancing the twin needs of charter-school autonomy and accountability, and their implications for the way in which charter schools and districts can work together. It identifies key challenges in district-school…

Although targeted explicitly at changing adult behaviors and outcomes, welfare reform has direct implications for children. This guidebook details the results of the Project on State-Level Child Outcomes, designed to assist states in measuring child outcomes in the context of welfare reform programs. The guidebook is presented in three sections.…

Increasingly, public officials in California and across the nation want to know, or at least be reassured, that public investments in what had traditionally been called university outreach programs are having desired effects on student achievement and college preparedness among targeted student groups. For the most part, such programs are now…

Examines the World Bank's 1995 policy statement, "Priorities and Strategies for Education: A World Bank Review." Reviews the bank's evolving policy of the past 35 years. Interprets the statement in light of recent structural adjustment strategies and end of the Cold War, which have sharpened bank attitudes about economic, social, and…

Discusses the impact of various policies, including faculty compensation, workload, intellectual property, and geographic service areas, on distance education enrollment growth. Reports on five cases based on data from a survey of members of the Western Cooperative for Educational Telecommunications and presents a framework for understanding why…

Analyzes British information policy using a matrix identifying industrial, organizational, and social levels of policy, and cross-cutting themes: information technology, information markets, human resources, and legislation and regulation. Argues that though Britain's various initiatives add up to a national strategy, it lacks coordination and…

Describes the libraries at the Lindesmith Center, a drug-policy-reform research institute, and discusses plans for library expansion. The traditional library includes books, government and other organization reports, periodicals, and vertical files; the virtual library contains full text documents that are available on the Lindesmith Web site.…

Describes the structure and operations of a computer simulation model used in Papua New Guinea, developed with technical assistance from UNESCO. Notes that model establishes baseline data on student enrollments, teacher posts, and costs of education, and can be used to simulate policies under consideration and provide output on student flows,…

Surveys and interviews identified individuals who have achieved national recognition for college and university leadership and individuals from outside higher education who have had particularly strong influence on it. Profiles of former group (n=21) include deans, presidents, and heads of associations, foundations, and policy centers; profiles of…

Evaluation of the first Texas correctional substance abuse program indicated that although recidivism was significantly reduced for offenders completing the program, a large number did not complete it and had recidivism rates comparable to those not participating. This problem and others caused the Texas Legislature to decide against expansion.…

Review of "Politics and Policy-Making in Israel's Education System" (Haim Gaziel); "Educational Advancement and Distributive Justice between Equality and Equity" (Reuven Kahane, editor); and "Exchanging Writing, Exchanging Cultures: Lessons in School Reform from the United States and Great Britain" (Sarah Warshauer…

Describes the Institute of Government, a hybrid unit that successfully straddles the academic fault line between public service and traditional scholarship. Discusses its mission, major areas of work and successful programs, organization and funding, and future directions in funding, faculty fields of expertise, civic education, and local…

Discusses policies that regulate what types of academic activities faculty can engage in outside the institution in light of the proliferation of distance education courses that provide faculty with the potential for teaching online courses through other institutions or corporations. Considers competition and the changing market for higher…