Comprehensive school guidance programs attempt to address a range of student needs on personal, social, career, and academic dimensions. Many guidance and counseling programs, however, have suffered cutbacks in recent years even though students continue to be in need of guidance, and students themselves have expressed a desire for assistance.

This article analyzes the role of policy issue networks in early state policymaking stages and interstate diffusion of policy innovations. It defines agenda setting as active and serious consideration of a specific issue by state policymakers and investigates how state policymakers are stimulated to consider policy issues across the U.S. The authors further examine the nature of policy issue networks and their interaction with specific state political cultures, providing insights into the rapid interstate diffusion of new policy issues in the 1970s.

California's credentialing issues are complex, with roots before statehood and ongoing challenges today. With a growing need for teachers, current and future policies will shape the workforce. The State and related agencies must attract qualified educators, but the Commission on Teacher Credentialing's performance is questioned. This report examines governance issues and suggests alternatives to improve the Commission and elevate the teaching profession, while offering historical context on past reform efforts to stimulate discussion and positive change.

The first in a series of annual reports on education in California aims to assess school performance objectively. It summarizes data on demography, academic performance, curriculum, personnel, and finances. Highlighting California's 1983 education reform effort, the report provides a baseline for assessing future reforms, with successive reports addressing the same dimensions. It focuses on K-12 public schools but also includes some data on nonpublic and postsecondary education.