Hat tip to Dana at Principled Discovery for finding this interesting piece about undergrads doing research for legislators. According to the article, UI political science professor Tom Rice heads up the Iowa Policy Research Organization.
The article says this about their training:
Students take a one credit hour preparatory seminar in the spring semester. The same group convenes again in a three-credit-hour fall course where they research and draft policy reports for Iowa legislators in time for the legislative session.
And this about the type of work they are producing for the legislators:
The organization has produced reports ranging from textbook costs to eminent domain to homeschooling to absentee and early voting. Last year, the class pulled together at least a dozen reports.
Yes, homeschooling is only mentioned once, but one has to wonder what bills were they researching homeschooling for? You can search the Iowa General Assembly http://www.legis.state.ia.us/Search.html for home school, or homeschool, but it would be interesting to know which legislators are requesting the research and follow the completed research to the legislative floor and see what effect it has on Iowa Citizens.
Are Iowa homeschoolers aware of the research?
–Mary
HEM
Helen
Tracy
mark
marynix
ann-lahrson-fisher
valerie
sandi
david