This report examines program integration as a way to improve the delivery of rural human services in Pennsylvania. A panel of policymakers, human services providers, and representatives of state agencies identified barriers to effective rural human services delivery and generated policy recommendations. Most county-based human services in…

This book examines issues in designing coherent education policy for public elementary and secondary schools. It seeks to expand the policy discussion by refining the definition of coherence and considering a number of complex questions raised by the notion of coherent policy. The book offers an in-depth look at systemic school reform and offers a…

This paper reviews some of the issues in the new literacy studies and the questions, from an anthropological perspective, of self, person, and identity that affect literacy practices. It is suggested that in discussing literacy, it is better to start from a cultural viewpoint rather than an educational one. The traditional autonomous model of…

Local school councils (LSCs) constitute another type of involvement in the education arena. These councils' functions vary from providing advice to making comprehensive and controversial educational decisions that affect students and staff. This booklet provides background information on LSCs, points out their benefits and drawbacks, and raises…

There are two stories about political trends affecting nonmetropolitan America. The old story, which is the story of declining rural population and declining rural influence on public policy formation, has its roots in early deliberations about governance in this country. Jefferson's republicanism focused on direct citizen involvement in decision…

This brief overview of recent policy initiatives--in addition to existing statutes and regulations--that may affect the Government Printing Office (GPO) Depository Library Program's (DLP) role in the dissemination of electronic government information identifies selected trends that may affect the public's access to electronic information through…

This curriculum module, one of seven in Infusion Project, offers information and lessons on drug use prevention for integration into an existing seventh grade middle school health curriculum. The module, based on a type of interactive learning called infusion learning, contains 10 lessons each providing objectives, a list of resource materials,…

Outcomes of Tennessee's Career Ladder Program are presented in this report, with a focus on the early implementation stage and perceptions of teachers and administrators. Methodology involved two sets of interviews with participating teachers and administrators from 18 schools and a statewide survey of 1,039 out of 2,105 faculty from 54 schools.…

This policy brief focuses on design issues surrounding decentralization policies, drawing from the following three reports: "Working Models of Choice in Public Education," by Richard F. Elmore; "Diversity Amidst Standardization: State Differential Treatment of Districts," by Susan H. Fuhrman; and "School District Restructuring in Santa Fe, New…

Proceedings of a symposium of professors of educational administration that focused on concerns about the Bush Administration's six national educational goals are described in this paper. Attention was given to policy, measurement, and research implications. Policy concerns include the objectives' exclusionary development process, lack of a clear…

This document presents six papers given at an international conference on educational policymaking and the relationship between the state and the university particularly in light of political developments in Europe and the partnership between the Western European and North American scholarly communities. The first paper, "State University:…

The proceedings of a 3-day conference, discussing the relationship between government and the arts in the United States, are presented. Issues that will confront the arts in the 1990s were identified and policy recommendations were suggested. Six basic principles were reflected in many of the discussions: (1) a flourishing artistic life is in the…

The oversight of state education reforms is explored in this paper, with a focus on the motivations of program fixers and the strategies they use to guide implementation. Fifty-seven interviews were conducted with legislators, committee staff, and legislative agency staff to analyze the program fixing process in six states--Arizona, Louisiana,…

The study described here examined the professional communities of teachers in American high schools. Data were derived from a series of observations and interviews undertaken over a 3-year period in six high schools in Michigan. Based on these data, the study developed a working definition of the term "professional community," described…

This study explores the role that communications technologies can play in securing rural America's future. It develops several policy strategies and options to encourage economic development. The study was requested by the Joint Economic Committee of Congress and Senators Charles E. Grassley and Orrin G. Hatch. Chapter 1 provides a summary and…