Policy makers use past experience and history to think about current and potential problems and to explain policies and problems to others. Decision makers may be overly influenced by significant personally-experienced events that loom so large in their eyes that details and related relevant information may pale in comparison. Deficiencies in…

A study examined the agenda setting and policy decision-making strategies utilized by independent public television producers to incorporate an independent production service into public broadcasting reauthorization legislation during the 100th Congress (1987-1988). Public policy analysis techniques from a political science perspective and…

The way in which intraorganizational context can influence strategy making is shown by comparing six Canadian universities formulating retrenchment strategies. "Strategy" involves the components of the strategy, the process by which strategy is made, and the context in which strategy is formed. A variety of university contexts are…

This paper summarizes the research and practice associated with the use of new information media and technology with Hispanic populations in the United States, and presents a case for making effective use of communications tools such as the microcomputer and videocassette recorders for improving the educational level and socioeconomic status of…

Possible causes for the rapid increase in the poverty rate from 1980 to 1982 were investigated, with two factors in particular being considered: the impact of the welfare program provisions of the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1981 (OBRA), and the recessionary economy experienced during that year. The basic study design used a computer…

Prior work on organizational effectiveness and strategic management is applied to assessing the strategy and effectiveness of higher education systems. It is suggested that like organizations, systems need to address three kinds of effectiveness: goal achievement, resource acquisition, and constituent satisfaction. Both organizations and systems…

The purpose of this paper is to propose a new, synthetic paradigm for debate analysis and decision making that features the policy systems approach within a context of values as boundaries for decision. As background for the proposed theory, the paper (1) summarizes the notions of paradigm formation and shifts initially presented by T. Kuhn; (2)…

For homework to be effective, a clear, written policy should be developed that considers local needs, sound educational theories, and current research. This handbook is intended to assist school districts, particularly in Pennsylvania, in planning, developing, and implementing homework policies and guidelines. The booklet first briefly reviews the…

The rise in costs of health care has led to a public questioning of a large number of elements of health services, health care financing, and clinical medicine. The assumption of a relationship between the nation's health and national expenditures for health appears to be of questionable validity. (Editor/PG)

Author suggested that we need to know more about the nature, extent, and distribution of youth patterns to which the Coleman report addresses itself and that we want to look more closely at the political feasibility of its suggested remedies. (Author/RK)

Author questioned the Coleman Report and zeroed in on the peculiar contradiction s between the specific analyses of the life circumstances of young people and the report's general diagnosis and recommendations. (Editor/RK)

A discussion of the legal boundaries of search and seizure in colleges and universities. The meanings of "Probable Cause" and "Reasonableness" are examined along with the concept of student rights. (EK)

Decentralization and recentralization are continuing phenomena in large bureaucracies, each cyclically emerging to prominence. The current decentralization strategy for large city school systems can only be successful in conjunction with continuing (though altered) centralized functions. (Author)

This chapter suggests that a court of review, such as the United State Supreme Court, might follow either of two judicial strategies, based on a model of restraint or a model of activism. Following a discussion of these two models, the author assesses the work of the U.S. Supreme Court during the tenure of Chief Justices Warren and Burger in light…

The third volume in a series of publications on alternatives to jail incarceration, this booklet deals specifically with alternatives to prosecution. Its focus is the diversion of defendants and prospective defendants from the criminal justice system. Chapter One deals with the policy issues of diversion; Chapter Two with planning diversion…