Lin Song, Roxanne Lieb - February 1995

In 1990, the legislature directed the Washington State Institute for Public Policy to study the effectiveness of the Special Sex Offender Sentencing Alternative (SSOSA). Legislators wanted to know if this treatment option, which allows judges to order community treatment for eligible sex offenders, compromised public safety. This publication reports on three studies regarding sex offenders that are designed to answer policymakers' questions. Each study addresses a particular aspect of recidivism.

Carol Webster, Greg Weeks - February 1995

The Family Income Study's December 1994 issue brief, Climbing the Wage Ladder, found that women who had worked at least three months in any year during the five-year study period (1988-1992) climbed the wage ladder. This paper updates that analysis and reports the 1994 equivalent wages.

Carol Webster, Greg Weeks - February 1995

This brief looks at who is on welfare in Washington and how this relates to length of stay on AFDC.

Edie Harding, Thomas Sykes - January 1995

The Washington Legislature directed the Legislative Budget Committee and the Washington State Institute for Public Policy to study the current Washington State special education funding formula and to report on the results of this examination. The current funding formula has been in place since the early 1980s. This study seeks to determine the changes over the last decade in the special education population and program effects of the current formula through an examination of: 1) Washington State trends, 2) local school district practices, 3) federal and state legal requirements, and 4) other states' special education funding formulas.

Thomas Sykes, Edie Harding - January 1995

The Washington Legislature directed the Washington State Institute for Public Policy to determine the feasibility of doing a longitudinal study of educational outcomes for students in special education. A longitudinal study allows the tracking of a population over some period of time in order to document changes in that population. This report summarizes what is already known about student outcomes for special education and suggests possible ways to learn more about special education programs.

WSIPP - January 1995

The Family Income Study's December 1993 issue brief, At What Hourly Wage Are Women Able to Leave and Stay Off Welfare? found a "threshold" wage of $6.50 per hour enabled many women to leave and stay off welfare for at least 36 months during the 1988-1992 Study period.

This paper updates that analysis and reports the 1994 equivalent "threshold" wage using two different methods: 1. Wages earned during the Study period were adjusted for inflation, using the Consumer Price Index. 2. Wages earned during the Study period were increased by the amount that would offset the increase in value, from 1988 to 1994, of the welfare package (Aid for Families With Dependent Children [AFDC] and Food Stamps).

Carol Webster, Greg Weeks - January 1995

This report provides the results from 20 teenage pregnancy prevention program evaluations. The programs are divided into two main categories: (1) Those intended to prevent a first pregnancy, and (2) Those intended to prevent subsequent pregnancies.

Pat Brown, Eugene Edgar, Carmen Hadreas, Bridget Kelly - December 1994

At legislative direction in the 1994 Supplemental Appropriations Act, the Washington State Institute for Public Policy is assessing the feasibility of doing a longitudinal study of educational outcomes for students in special education. A longitudinal study allows the tracking of a population over some period of time in order to document changes in that population. Conducting such a study in the field of K-12 education will be complicated and costly. In Washington State, we have had only limited experience with this approach. This report provides a summary of what is known from the research literature on outcomes for special education students who graduate from high school in the U.S. and in Washington State.

Susan Mielke - December 1994

This reviews examines the federal legislation established to provide federal financial assistance programs to assist states in educating children with disabilities. Federal law requires the state to assure that school districts evaluate each identified child to determine eligibility for special education, provide appropriate special education services to children with disabilities, establish due process procedures to help parents and students get the appropriate special education services, and perform some administrative functions for special education programs. The main differences between federal and state requirements are that the state defines specific eligibility criteria for each disability category and requires the evaluation to identify a child's disability within one of the disability categories. The state constitution, as interpreted by the Washington State Supreme Court in 1978, requires the state to define and fully fund basic education. Through legislative definition, special education is part of the state's basic education responsibility.

Susan Mielke - December 1994

This review presents the historical development of federal legislation that addresses the education of children with disabilities. Additionally, it presents the federal requirements the state must meet when delivering and funding special education programs under the federal constitution, current federal statutes, regulations and selected court cases.