This paper explores the practice of evidence-based policy in a Swedish healthcare context. The study focused on how policymakers in the specific working group, the Priority-Setting Group (PSG), handled the various forms of evidence and values and their competing rationalities, when producing the Swedish National Guidelines for heart diseases that…

'Educational Goods' is a provocative text which makes important contributions relevant to a wide readership, and this examination of the text suggests it may be necessary to further complicate the concept of educational goods. In particular, it takes issue with the universalising of the 'good' which has been a key feature of colonisation that…

For at least two decades, educators, employers and policymakers have confronted an increasingly urgent global hunger for talent --a demand for better-educated workers and more enlightened citizens. Higher education institutions and various oversight entities at the state and federal levels have attempted to respond to this rising demand for…

Postsecondary education has the potential to transform lives by providing economic and non-economic benefits to students, their families, communities, the workforce, and ultimately the entire world--but only if the policies that shape that system are themselves equitable. To support more inclusive and deliberate policymaking processes at every…

The author talks about a recent report from the nonprofit group "Grantmakers for Education" which finds that philanthropies nationwide are increasingly getting engaged with education policy matters at the local, state, and federal levels through a range of activities, in recognition of the powerful reach of government in setting…

Priority setting is examined from the perspective of planning practitioners operating in a major federal regulatory agency. Causes of ambivalence in setting priorities are considered, and ways to reduce ambivalence are suggested. Three models are proposed for setting priorities in the public sector. (SLD)

Diana Wilkinson, Chief Social Researcher with the Scottish Government, assisted National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) to facilitate a forum to discuss the development of national research priorities for the vocational education and training sector. This paper summarises Diana Wilkinson's impression of the forum and uses two…

Described is a six-step school improvement process that evolved during attempts to assess needs, plan improvements, implement changes, and evaluate success at a Michigan school district's elementary schools with disadvantaged pupils. The process involves parents and school staff identifying needs and setting priorities for staff development. (PP)

Policies affecting school technology exist at federal, state, and local governmental levels. This article describes a cyclical process to guide policy formation once goals have been formulated. Steps include collecting data, determining the guidance needed, identifying resources, setting priorities, developing policy, and evaluating the policy…

Setting priorities for allocating funding and other resources is one of the central issues of federal science policy. Presented in these hearings are the views of witnesses (government officials, scientists, economists, and industrial personnel) on various issues related to setting priorities for science. Among the issues addressed (in the form of…

Wise allocation of resources implies knowledge of which actions will yield the highest net benefit. Predicting benefit requires comparing objectives as to importance and setting priorities among them. This article discusses ways in which policy-makers can set priorities rationally. The advantages of ratios for comparing priorities are discussed.…

After joining the European Union, many aspects of economic and social development are changing in Poland. Change is necessary in many areas, including the areas of research and education and their links to practice as it is broadly understood practice. Some areas seem neglected by the policy-makers. This article will refer to the question of…

This study aimed to obtain consensus on physical activity (PA) and sedentary behaviour (SB) policy items for use in Canadian childcare settings. Purposeful sampling of Canadian experts in PA/SB (n = 19) and Early Childhood Education (ECE; n = 20) was used to form two distinct (i.e., PA/SB and ECE) panels for a 3-round Delphi study. In round 1, the…

Broadly defined, human resource development (HRD) involves the education, training, and utilization of human potentials for social and economic progress. Of five interdependent energizers for HRD (education, health and nutrition, the environment, employment, and political and economic freedom), education is an essential factor for improving all…

Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) are lifelong neurodevelopmental disabilities. Burden of Disease is an indicator that provides important information on health status and outcomes such as premature mortality and disability. In order to estimate the burden of disease of ASD in the Spanish population during 2003, we followed the procedures used in the…