As Washington prepares to welcome a new Congress in January 2023, incoming policymakers who want to improve education for every student and give parents more control over where and how their children are educated have many policy options at their disposal. New Members of Congress who want to protect taxpayers and rein in college costs also have…

The education laws and policy decisions made in the state capitol might seem far removed from the realities of the schools, but their impact hits much closer to home than one might realize. Keeping track of those state debates as they occur is a good way to keep teachers, administrators, and local parents in-the-loop about changes that might be…

As more and more cities and states diversify the educational options available to parents and students, creating magnet, open-enrollment, small school, career and technical, charter, and private school opportunities, educational choice markets need to become a part of the regulation conversation. In this report, Mike McShane examines the…

Students, teachers, administrators, community members, and policymakers are collectively responsible for ensuring that the literacy learning required to earn a living and lead a well-rounded life is available to all. To meet that responsibility, the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) urges legislators to practice civil discourse by…

This article reports that education will be on the ballot November 4, even if the subject hasn't been on voters' minds much during the 2008 campaign season. The results of the elections are likely to have a significant impact on the way schools are financed, governed, and held accountable for the academic performance of their students. At the…

Institutional factors that constrain the Congress's use of evaluation research are illustrated by a case history of congressional deliberations about the Professional Standards Review Organization program. Guidelines for researchers who would like to make their work more useful in the policymaking process are proposed. (Author/BW)

This paper examines two issues in telecommunications policy in which the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has attempted to pursue policies that were distant from the policy desires of their supervising committees in Congress, and in which congressmen made use of various instruments of congressional influence: the FCC's attempt to…

In its role as a broker between the scientific community and the Congress, the Office of Technology Assessment evaluates the soundness of scientific conclusions for policy makers and ensures that research findings are included in formative policy analysis. (Author)

The contributions of Senator J. William Fulbright to public policy in the United States are examined, focusing on a lifetime of public service and the global view that he brought to American policy formation. Cultural tolerance and international cooperation are seen as the major themes dominating his public life. Excerpts of personal comments of a…

Discusses the status of U.S. federal information policy. Topics covered include definitions of policy, the range of issues being covered, current actors and policy initiatives, and ways in which information science faculty can participate in the policy process. A bibliography of selected sources is provided. (10 notes/references) (Author/CLB)

Educators and legislators tend to have differing impressions of the definition of educational quality. Components of quality can be classified into three categories: (1) input, e.g., student characteristics, such as grade point average and test scores, and faculty characteristics, such as advanced degrees and publications; (2) environment/process,…

Describes how the talk of legislative policy makers in public forums builds a system of justification for their actions. Uses observations from a case study of the Utah State Legislature and develops a sociopragmatic perspective of argument fields. (PD)

On any given day, higher education is represented in Washington, by not only lobbyists, but also students, administrators, experts on a variety of related issues, and professors turned legislators. A typical day finds these groups in varied activities directed at influencing policy. The American Council on Education is at the center of higher…

Fearing a federal court in Oklahoma might end a state-financed merit-scholarship program targeted by a discrimination lawsuit, black legislators passed a bill making the program race and gender neutral. State regents are criticized for failing to develop effective policy to remedy past discrimination. (MSE)

Efforts of the 96th Congress to use evaluation data in considering whether to change policies about reimbursement for psychotherapy services. (Author/BW)