In 1995, the Indiana Legislature deregulated state controls over public-school construction projects by reducing the status of required specifications to guidelines. Also, local taxpayers were given greater authority to prevent proposed projects. This study examines the short-term effects of this policy shift. (Contains 5 tables and 16…

A study of Florida's "school accountability" reform examined Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) scores in Orange County. It was found that percentages of low-income, gifted, and Black students in a school population could predict the FCAT score with 80-86 percent accuracy. The testing process creates a self-fulfilling prophecy.…

This article draws a link between student development concepts and the institutional policies colleges formulate and implement. This article offers seven observations intended to guide institutional policymakers in light of the propositions about development identified by Strange (1994). (67 references) (Author/RB)

The proposed revision of the methodology for measuring poverty in the United States would put the nonmetropolitan poverty rate lower than the metropolitan rate, a reversal due mostly to the cost-of-housing adjustment. Details projected changes in the measured poverty of nonmetropolitan and metropolitan population groups. (TD)

Examines Canadian child care and child care policy in light of four goals: alleviating poverty, fostering equality for women, providing early education and child development services, and promoting economic well-being. Examples are provided to show the practical application of policy to meet each of the goals. An analysis of current child care…

Reports that Harvard University Medical School is considering policy changes that would ease financial restrictions in its conflict-of-interest standards for faculty researchers. Supporters argue that such changes are necessary to attract and retain top researchers, but ethicists warn that as collaborations between industry and academic medicine…

Examines policies and processes hindering homeless children's access to appropriate educational provision in the United Kingdom, painting a stark, depressing picture. Case-study research reveals the fruitlessness of blaming homeless children's poor school performance on family inadequacies. From a social-reaction perspective, the education system…

Examined differences in divorced (n=1,916) and never-married (n=878) single mothers' decisions to participate in Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC). Divorced mothers were twice as likely to receive AFDC benefits as never-married mothers. Discusses differences in AFDC decision-making processes and suggests ways to move single mothers…

Describes the founding, organization and structure, and relationship between social issues and funders of the Institute for Policy Research at Northwestern University. The institute's history and research have been marked by a commitment to societal concerns such as poverty, crime, race and inequality, social welfare policy, and community…

Using data from the 1997 and 1999 National Surveys of America's Families, the authors examine the consequences of state welfare policies and practices on the living arrangements of low-income families with children. Results from a multivariate difference-in-difference-in-differences model suggest that more effective collection of child support and…

This study uses multilevel modeling to examine, after taking student-level predictors of enrollment into account, the effects of state public policies on the type of institution high school graduates attend. Four types of state policies (direct appropriations, tuition, financial aid, and K-12 academic preparation) influence the type of college…

This account reports on a commissioned strategic evaluation undertaken for the Australian National Training Authority on the qualitative impact of the introduction of Training Packages on vocational education and training clients. The research involved collecting the views of over 200 VET practitioners, bureaucrats and administrators, industry…

For a decade or so the policy debate on post-school education and training across OECD countries has been shaped to a considerable extent by the associated, although distinct, concepts of lifelong learning and the learning society. Developments in the UK have both reflected this trend and contributed to pushing forward these notions. The plethora…

Part of the response of many development cooperation agencies to the challenges of globalisation, ICTs and the knowledge economy is to emphasise the importance of knowledge for development. This paper looks at the discourses and practices of ''knowledge-based aid'' through an exploration of four agencies: the World Bank, DFID, Sida and JICA. It…

During the first half of the twentieth century in British Columbia, French language was considered a school subject to be taught as any other using formal classical approaches. Generally, no specific provincial or local policies existed to guide how French was taught and learned. By 1981, however, British Columbia had developed explicit language…