Higher education has increasingly become critical to the nation's cultural, social, and economic well-being, with 90 percent of the fastest-growing jobs in the knowledge economy requiring some postsecondary education. While a college graduate can expect to earn, on average, approximately $1 million more over the course of his or her working life…

The purpose of this guidebook is to give Minnesota legislators an overview of all laws affecting young people in order to have a reference aid on current state policies toward youth. State statutes and cases that provide rights, responsibilities, and protections for young people under age 18 are described. Part 1 of this guide, "The…

A study aimed to examine how reading assessment information is understood and used by two powerful groups: federal legislators and members of the news media. Attempts were made to contact federal legislators on educational subcommittees to discuss how they used reading assessment information to make legislative policy decisions and to vote on…

This paper examines ways in which the state of Florida addressed and resolved pressures to respond to continuous demands for reform by using new and different reform paths. Florida had committed itself in 1991 to a standards-based reform strategy. This commitment was analyzed during the 1996 election year. For the study, a content analysis of all…

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) of the late 1980s appeared to pursue its own agenda of broadcast deregulation, notwithstanding congressional pressures. The apparent power shift is evident in a case study of the interactions between Congress and the FCC on the subject of children's television. In the early 1970s, the FCC tended to…

Findings from a study that explored the motivations of legislators to oversee and control program implementation are presented in this paper. Implementation is viewed as a contract between the legislative and executive branches with legislators acting as monitors who use oversight to control the agencies contracted to implement policy. A total of…

A brief questionnaire was mailed to all legislators in Arkansas (n=135, with 75 responding) and Texas (n=181 with 67 responding) concerning possible gender differences in legislative effectiveness. Personal interviews were also conducted with all female legislators from both states and an equal number of randomly selected male legislators (20 in…

Content analysis was employed in an examination of nine major metropolitan daily newspapers to determine how they portrayed both black and white members of the United States House of Representatives from l979 to l983. Specifically, the study examined the amount of coverage given to a sample of 16 black and 16 white representatives, the way…

In recent years, television spot advertising has become an important part of political campaigns because it allows candidates to select the most favorable content, medium, time, and audience available to them. In the 1984 United States Senate campaign in Michigan, both the incumbent, Democrat Carl Levin, and the challenger, Republican Jack Lousma,…

This essay, an outgrowth of the Legislative Ethics and the Media Project, builds upon project meetings and interviews with members of a special task force made up of journalists representing various special ties and perspectives within the media as well as legislators, congressional staff members, and academic experts. The first of five sections…

The article discusses the funding of the 1972 Indian Education Act, and the obstacles that almost prevented its passage. The important steps are chronologically reviewed, also including the testimony of Indian leaders and a summary of appropriation requests. (KM)

The Congressional Rural Caucus, the Midwest Caucus of Democratic Senators, and a number of Republican Senators are all focusing their attention on rural issues and problems. (Author)

Stresses the need for creating a constituency in Congress, identifying issues such as dissemination of educational research and communication between researchers and politicians, and generating vocal support for educational research throughout the country. (AM)

To highlight forces that impede constructive relationships between legislators and agency representatives, advice is offered on presenting testimony in legislative sessions or providing information to a legislator, based on the viewpoint of a state legislator. It is advisable to avoid approaching legislators with the attitude that they are the…

In the past few years, the concept of local control of public education through elected school boards has been superseded by legislation mandating other forms of citizen involvement in educational decision-making. Specifically Alberta's enactment of the Department of Education Act and approval of Operational Plans for Early Childhood Services…