A major policy planning effort sponsored by the Law School Admission Council was an invitational conference in November 1983 resulting in much discussion of current law school admissions policies. However, there is still a need for evaluation of admissions policy at many individual schools. (MSE)

A survey of over 50 service organizations, private firms, and government agencies revealed that there is a growing interest in foresight and related activities. Their attempts to predict change, the mechanisms used, costs, information sources, dissemination of results, benefits gained, disadvantages, evaluation procedures, and utilization of such…

The Education Commission of the States (ECS) recently conducted analyses, interviews and a survey for a study designed to identify the most pressing early learning issues facing policymakers. The goal was to hear both from those who are faced with making decisions and from those who are on the ground conducting research and developing programs. To…

This report recounts the process of desegregation of the education service in the London (England) borough of Newham. It shows how inclusion in the borough began and was sustained by an understanding of inclusion as a human rights issue. It charts the steps which brought about the closure of most of the authority's separate special schools and…

Asserting that the welfare reform proposals of the mid-1990s drew attention to the problem of domestic violence among individuals receiving public assistance who are among the poorest of the poor, this report examines what is known from past research on domestic violence that may inform policies related to marriage and child well-being. In…

This paper describes a World Wide Web-based, generic, inter-disciplinary subject called computer-aided policymaking. It has been offered at Melbourne University (Australia) from the beginning of 2001. It has generated some salutary lessons in marketing and pedagogy, but overall it is concluded that Web-based teaching has a rosy future.…

While the benefits of partnerships between school and external groups are many (building social capital, enhancing educational reform, creating stronger communities, increasing academic achievements, and enhancing school performance), creating effective partnerships does not always come easily. One of the first decisions that organizations…

While the transfer of policy between state governments is a well-researched practice, little is known about the state-to-state spread of programs generated and implemented by nonprofit organizations. In 1990, the nonprofit Child Care Services Association in North Carolina began an education and compensation scholarship program for 21 child care…

The traditional role of a college or university finance committee is to oversee an institution's financial operations, ensure that a viable long-range fiscal plan is in place, and recommend financial policies to the governing board. The finance committee may assume additional responsibilities in response to changing needs and expectations of the…

This annual report details the 1997 activities of the SouthEastern Regional Vision for Education, the agency designated by the U.S. Department of Education as the regional educational laboratory responsible for developing national leadership and expertise in early childhood education. The report describes the partners involved and activities…

This document reports the oral and written testimony submitted at a Congressional hearing on implementation of the Government Performance and Results Act in the Veterans Benefits Administration's (VBA) educational service and vocational and counseling services. Oral and written testimony was presented by Representative Jack Quinn, chair of the…

Establishing a British national strategy to tackle youth drug use would seem an obvious first step in solving the drug problem. Some ideas for remedying the drug problem among young people are presented in this conference report. Drug abuse among children and adolescents throws up some complex issues and the obstacles to any coordinated,…

This report describes a 1997 survey which examined performance funding in higher education and offers guidelines for states' and institutions' explorations of performance-based funding. Among highlights of the survey are: 32 states are planning or using performance measures in the state budget process; legislatively mandated initiatives are…

School-finance reform is an issue that has been on New York State's agenda almost continuously since the 1960s. Information that is intended to make basic school-aid issues understandable to the average citizen is provided in this report. The report focuses on the existing finance system, the equity issues, and the options for reform. The paper is…

This report analyzes policy trends in gifted education in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut from 1984 through 1994. The decrease in state funding of gifted education during this period is investigated, along with the rise of private and university gifted programs. Findings from the analysis indicated that gifted students possess few of the…