The State Higher Education Executive Officers Association's (SHEEO) "Communities of Practice" project builds upon SHEEO's ongoing efforts to measure the capacity and effective use of state postsecondary data systems and provides states with opportunities to develop solutions to common issues with those systems. The sixth Community of…

There's much talk about using data to inform education decision-making, both in and beyond the classroom. This paper examines the landscape of data literacy, based on a meeting in May 2012 which brought together the foremost researchers and professional development providers in the field of data-driven decision-making in education. The meeting…

The purpose of this study was to identify the issues that most affect Minnesota's rural public school administrators as they attempt to fulfill the mandates required from state legislation and communities. A second purpose was to identify exemplary practices valued by individual Minnesota rural schools and districts. Electronic surveys were sent…

Two papers consider state regulation of the telecommunications industry. The first paper, "Managing the Mixed Bag: Incentive Regulation at the State Level" (Gail Garfield Schwartz, Deputy Chairman, New York State Public Service Commission), describes New York State's regulatory policies in the broader context of the best ways for state…

This paper outlines the preparations necessary for state psychological associations to make a timely, well-coordinated, and successful mental health response to disaster or trauma. It is suggested that early planning, recruiting, training, connecting with an authorized disaster organization, forming a mental health coalition, organizing…

A program evaluation unit was established in the Louisiana Department of Education. A unit capable of measuring and assuring the effectiveness of several programs and projects either operating or proposed was desired. The Department responded to requests to implement program evaluations. Many requests were from program administrators who needed…

In 1947 Nebraska established a unique Court of Industrial Relations to resolve disputes between government agencies and public employees. The court's five part-time judges are appointed by the governor to six-year terms, and the court's operating costs are covered in the state budget. Even so, costs to litigants may be higher than necessary. The…

Since 1910, the Library of Congress (LC) has collected state publications and announced them in its Monthly Checklist. Over 26,000 titles were listed in 1973, but this does not represent a complete record of official state publications. If a state does not have a law requiring that a copy of each publication issued be sent to the LC, the coverage…

This description of the development of an index to periodicals published by New York State agencies begins by discussing the criteria used in determining which titles to index, which years to cover, and what subject headings to use. Recruitment of indexers and the development of indexing guidelines by the Government Documents Roundtable of the New…

This paper examines the history of the organization of statewide social services and activities of the Division of Work among Negroes in the Appalachian counties. From 1925-1934--its first 9 years--North Carolina's Division of Work among Negroes was directed by Lawrence Oxley. This agency was established to study black social problems and to help…

The effects of teleconference experiences on the types of concerns expressed by teleconference participants after their initial experiences with the medium were examined using a concerns-based adoption model, which allows researchers to assess changes in levels of concerns expressed by individuals as they become more familiar with an innovation.…

The number of decision-makers in higher education has increased, and resolution of issues has gravitated toward the state level. Since World War II the trend has been toward centralizing authority in state higher education coordinating and governing boards. Issues such as access and aid to higher education or statewide collective bargaining…

Because state agencies have found that the licensing of family day care homes presents administrative problems which are quite different from the licensing of day care centers this report presents arguments against traditional licensing practices. Six alternatives are suggested for states making decisions about their future directions in family…

Three papers discuss aspects of telecommunications regulation in a deregulated environment. The first paper, "Implementing Telephone Deregulation: The Political Economy of State Regulation in the Post-Divestiture Era" (Paul E. Teske), analyzed the variation in state regulation of local telephone operating companies using regression…

This paper, which explores the efforts made by teachers and others in England to promote the study of the media in formal education structures, begins by presenting a brief introductory overview of key historical events in media studies that have affected its identity and evolution. The paper investigates, in particular, post-16 further education…