"Kids in the Middle: The Micro-Politics of Special Education" takes the reader on a fascinating journey through special education in the past, present, and future. On this journey, the micro-politics of special education are seen through the eyes and experiences of children with disabilities, their parents and advocates, adult educators,…

This paper suggests that a well-composed scheme of civic education does not merely predispose the citizen to political engagement, but more fundamentally, the considered systematic design of civic education parallels the essentials of both the constitutionalism and the democracy to which it gives access and control. This paper aims to draw out…

This paper is one of six presented at a symposium on the integration of policy, power, perception, and status into a working model. The objectives of the symposium were to define the concept of policy and its interrelationship to power; provide a framework in which policy is affected by perceptions and demonstrate how status roles and perceptions…

The author examines claims that progressive teaching methods are one cause of declining standards and looks at national monitoring systems developed as a political and administrative response to this issue. Finding these bureaucratic procedures inconsistent with the ideals of progressive education, he proposes an alternative school-based…

This issue of "The Evaluation Exchange" describes new developments in evaluating advocacy and policy change efforts that attempt to inform or influence public policy at the local, state, or federal levels. Heather B. Weiss introduces the themes in this issue in "From the Director's Desk," examining how evaluation of advocacy…

Focusing on whether and how research actually contributes to the formation of public policy, this paper explores the critical problems in the linkage between science production and the systems that formulate educational policy. The authors suggest that the utilization of social research is limited more by problems of integrating research into the…

Discusses the connection of the arts and art education with politics, advocating that art educators can improve the status of arts in U.S. schools by applying political leverage and the insights of political science. Examines the Finnish system of arts education as a possible model for the United States. (GEA)

Contains 16 articles as a resource on political action. Presents views of individuals actively involved in shaping national education policy. Provides several perspectives on levels of political awareness from both philosophical and practical dimensions. Contains examples and consequences of counselor initiative concerning social program policy…

A framework is presented to characterize literature on teacher empowerment, recognizing two important dimensions: the personal or outward context of the process (conversations with self versus conversations with settings); and the focus or agenda. The framework can illuminate the dynamics of collaborative work with teachers. (SLD)

The research on which this paper is based examined the legislative process resulting in Minnesota's tuition tax concession statutes through a study of four decision events: the 1955 passage of a tax deduction, the 1971 adoption of a tax credit, the 1976 increase of the 1955 deduction allowance, and the 1981 retention of this deduction in a climate…

An exploration of the decision-making processes of state legislators on public school finance issues focuses on major school finance changes that occurred in Michigan in 1973 and in Washington and Missouri in 1977. Roll call votes, primarily in the lower chambers of the state legislatures, on both selected amendments and the complete versions of…