"Education, Equity, and the States" examines how variations in state governance determine how federal initiatives are implemented and makes recommendations for approaching reform from this perspective. The book defines the key ways in which state policy environments differ from one another, illustrates how those differences matter, and…

Ask Antonio White what he thinks of Race to the Top--President Barack Obama's signature K-12 initiative--and the Florida teacher will tell you the competitive-grant program is a "difficult pill to swallow." Merit pay for teachers based partly on student test scores is "a joke," he says. He's also not a fan of expanding charter…

Students are well served by course simulations that employ active learning styles and student-driven interaction. For debate on political issues, particular public policies are quite effective in stimulating that discussion. We developed an in-class simulation of political debate on the issue of Social Security. We describe the simulation itself,…

Evaluation must take into account both executive and legislative politics and their interactions. A five-part continuum evaluation process is suggested for the development of a policy question and its translation into knowledge that is credible, timely, responsive, and usable. Evaluators have a major responsibility in this process. (Author/JAZ)

Legislative evaluators can inform state policymakers who face policy and budget decisions related to large and complex federal programs such as Medicaid. Unlike lobbyists, advocates, and other stakeholders who support particular interests, legislative evaluators are uniquely positioned to provide independent and timely information to assist…

To maximize freedom from personal and political conflicts of interest, decentralized mechanisms of federal program evaluations are needed. Block grants mean that state legislatures and governors will become more responsible for oversight of funds. Three proposals are presented for helping the states deal with these increased evaluation…

Presents the results of surveys that use new technologies and procedures to provide a more accurate picture of how people feel about racially charged issues. The results suggest deep divisions and surprising agreement on many of these issues. Argues that, distrust and dislike of affirmative action is widespread even among liberals. (MJP)

Between 1976 and 1982, teenagers improved their performance on citizenship/social studies items measuring political knowledge and attitudes--13-year-olds by nearly three percentage points and 17-year-olds by about two percentage points. Results for the various population groups indicated that improvements tended to be greater for lower achieving…

Offers a brief history of library youth services and the political strategies behind them. Topics include the role of women, outreach programs of public libraries, tax support, library development after World War II, federal legislation and funding, National Library Week, school libraries, parent involvement, collaborative partnerships, and…

Addresses some of the frustration felt by Canada's indigenous Indian population regarding the lack of attention afforded them in recent federal elections. Discusses Indian reaction to the Canadian Government's White Paper on Aboriginal peoples. Canadian natives felt this document actually represented a step backward in their struggle for equality.…

Analyzes the political discontent of western Canada towards the Canadian federal government. Argues that the federal government favors the more populous eastern regions (especially Quebec and Ontario) and rewards these areas with greater federal spending. Briefly discusses several projects and proposals that reflect this bias. (MJP)

Examines the dichotomy between Canada's excellent record of social programs, educational attainment, and income and Canadians' continued negative perceptions of their country. Explores issues that particularly vex the Canadians including decentralization and the separatist movement in Quebec. Concludes that Canada's penchant for self-criticism…

This document presents the principal findings and recommendations of a study conducted by the Committee on Evaluation of Employment and Training Program to assess the impact of CETA (Comprehensive Employment and Training Act) on manpower programs. This report is divided into two parts. Part 1 provides an overview of CETA's history, summarizes…

This bulletin has been prepared in response to many hundreds of requests for information about public affairs forums. It is impossible in such limited space to give a comprehensive description of the forum method of adult civic education or its application in various parts of the country. However, the authors have tried to include in the bulletin…

Plans and programs come in response to need. Citizens of our democracy have need of greater opportunities for truth-seeking under competent guidance. The people are hungry for increased understanding of the problems which beset them and their communities. They have a right to expect their institutions of education to give them help in their study…