The use of five Australian research reports in formulating policy on user choice was examined in terms of the policy development process, distribution of power among stakeholders, and the culture of decision-making organizations. Factors influencing research use were identified: the reports were commissioned, the political climate changed, and…

Examines the strategic move in British higher education to a national quality assurance plan based on academic standards. Discusses the policy proposals of the National Committee of Inquiry in Higher Education and the Quality Assurance Agency. (SK)

Identifies six categories of research in the field of distance education. Topics include evaluation reports; research on the technology; research on the process; general instructional research; policy research; and pre-research, composed of articles that suggest ways of designing or improving distance education courses. (LRW)

Provides examples of current work in social science disciplines that address the policy research argument that understanding the impact of changes in human numbers on social and cultural life requires moving beyond current standards of empirical categories. Discusses enumeration categories suggested by the United Nations. (SLD)

Examines public opinion regarding intervention options for intrafamilial child sexual abuse offenders, victims, and families. Investigates the public's willingness to support strategies of victim protection, offender control, and treatment services. Respondents generally supported established, adversarial intervention strategies, and had mixed…

Describes how U.S. teacher unions have begun to depart from industrial principles, with the National Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers endorsing ideas such as peer review, training standards, job-embedded professional development, and alternatives to standard salary schedules. Asserts that substantial policy…

Considers how privacy issues related to online profiling affect library patrons and what librarians should do to protect them. Discusses the need for a privacy policy and provides guidelines from the OECD (Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development) privacy statement generator that can be adapted for libraries. (LRW)

Describes two research frames, functionalist research and critical analyses, focusing on the different questions they raise about a study published in an earlier issue of this journal that investigated whether minimally-trained college students can effectively tutor children in reading. Suggests reading researchers must extend their tendency to…

Discusses the changing expectations of guidance and counseling in an era of educational reform. Outlines the roots of comprehensive guidance programs in schools, the transition from services-based to results-based programs, and the development of federal legislation supporting comprehensive guidance programs. (Contains 26 references.) (GCP)

Circulation policies are guidelines used by staff and patrons when checking out materials. These policies usually address issues such as the number of items a patron may borrow, the length of time items may be kept, and if there will be consequences for nonreturn of materials. This article addresses issues library media specialists may want to…

This paper reports on a Delphi Study undertaken at Dalhousie University in which a multi-stakeholder panel was consulted in order to generate ideas that could be incorporated into an Implementation Plan for the University Environmental Policy (UEP). The objectives of the study were twofold. First, the study endeavored to develop ideas as to the…

This paper explores the role of meso-level actors and their ongoing mediating roles in educational policy processes situated, as they are, between policy-makers and central government, on the one hand (the macro level), and teachers and schools, on the other hand (the micro level). Although the example given here is in the role of a group of…

This paper chronicles the development and updating of a visual arts education policy paper produced by the Southeastern College Art Conference (SECAC). The first statement was drafted and approved by the membership and published in 1995. The revision process for the second statement began in the spring of 2003 and was reviewed by the board of…

This article examines the struggles of the South African government to establish school-wide evaluation policies within post-apartheid institutions. It is demonstrated that even when such evaluation policies promise teacher development and whole-school improvement, there is significant resistance to government intervention in the school…

Conducted interviews with 25 Canadian policymakers at the federal level to study the role online research has begun to play in their work and frustrations in using this research. Found widespread use of online research, with issues of access, indexing, and credibility. (SLD)