It is argued that both economic concerns and political factors can be synthesized within a new framework to improve city policymaking. This approach is based on a systematic empirical study of policymaking in Milwaukee (Wisconsin) and Baltimore (Maryland) in the 1970s and early 1980s. Numerous government documents and extensive interviews with…

The Arizona Student Assessment Program (ASAP) epitomizes the principle on which measurement-driven reform is based, "You get what you assess." This policy study examines the ideologies and intentions of groups instrumental in the creation and implementation of a performance-based assessment reform. The study was conducted by interviewing…

This book was designed to help school board members work together to create an effective school board. Guidelines are based on the premise that organizational effectiveness depends on individuals having the ability to recognize others' frames of reference and to utilize multiple frames. The four frames commonly used by leaders include the…

This pamphlet summarizes the principal recommendations of the Research Library Committee of the Council on Library Resources regarding library response to the rapid transformation brought about by integrated information technologies, rising costs, and the growth in the amount of information available. Central issues for research libraries are…

A major component of the legislative function of the Board of Governors (BOG) of the California Community Colleges (CCC), as mandated in Assembly Bill 1725, is the adoption of an annual state and federal legislative program. This program formalizes the legislative thrust of the BOG and is intended to set forth systematic legislative and budgetary…

This testimony of the President of Public/Private Ventures (PPV) in Philadelphia (Pennsylvania) is on the subject of designing effective youth services programs, particularly in light of the PPV's experience with its program, Summer Training and Education Program (STEP). Following a description of the background for this and similar programs, the…

This study identified critical factors in two states as they begin to develop family centered policies for the Infant and Toddlers Program as required by Part H of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. It focused on the Individual Family Service Plan, the identification of families' strengths and needs, and case management. Data were…

This paper proposes that those who make policy for individuals with severe disabilities ought to evaluate current actions and frame proposed changes according to whether these changes protect or increase citizens' opportunities to build inclusive community by establishing suitable position and priority for adequate government investment. Such…

This discussion paper, which addresses the abuse of children in residential establishments, is presented in outline form and includes comments and contributions from a wide range of professionals working in various settings. An introduction notes the reported increase in sexual abuse of children in institutions, a variety of proposed monitoring…

This monograph presents the plan of the Intra-Agency Council of the New York State Department of Education to increase physical and programmatic accessibility of all Department programs and services. First, the mission and goals of the Council as well as its activities are briefly reviewed. Next, the process for developing the department plan is…

Test misuse is neither isolated nor recent. It is a problem that cannot be easily solved. While test misuse may be reduced or managed, it cannot be eliminated. Test misuse has cut across America's social, economic, and political institutions, including schools. The most flagrant abuse of a test is what happens to the results of the Scholastic…

This briefing document summarizes issues on simplifying need analysis and delivery in the context of Higher Education Act reauthorization proposals. First, brief summaries of seven key issues are presented followed by three or four recommendations for each issue, and a list of recommended actions as proposed by the Department of Education and the…

This report outlines issues related to special education and changes in its role brought about by the restructuring of schools. Discussions of proposed policy options accompany the descriptions of each issue. The issues are in addition to those described in an earlier University of Maryland issues and policy options paper. The first issue is…

In today's political, economic, and ecologically-sensitive climate a university's or college's indiscriminate acceptance of gifts can have catastrophic consequences. Some donations of cash or even real property can bring with them legal and political, as well as ethical and philosophical complications that can cost the institution considerable…

This report responds to the 1992 Virginia General Assembly's request of the State Council of Higher Education to "study the efficacy and appropriateness of establishing a prepaid tuition trust program within the Commonwealth's system of higher education." They asked that the study include, at least, an examination of programs in other…