An Overview of the GAO Report on Key National Indicators (pdf, html)
by Richard D. Young

In this article, an overview of the Government Accountability Office’s (GAO) recent report on the merits and issues related to establishing a national key indicator system are presented. The report, entitled Informing Our Nation: Improving How to Understand and Assess the USA’s Position and Progress, reviews the current state of practice of comprehensive indicator systems, distills the lessons learned from these systems, and recommends options for Congress to consider in the establishment of a national indicator system.

The Sex Education Curriculum in South Carolina’s Public Schools: The Public's View (pdf, html)
by Forrest L. Alton, Robert W. Oldendick, and Katherine A. Draughon

After decades of debate, the provision of sex education in public schools remains a controversial issue in South Carolina. This article describes the differing schools of thought on sex education then presents a summary of the results of a survey on this topic conducted with a random sample of South Carolina voters in 2004. Among the major findings of this survey are that a majority of the electorate (80.9%) believes that sexuality education which emphasizes abstinence, but also teaches youth about the benefits and importance of using contraception to prevent pregnancy and/or sexually transmitted diseases, should be taught in South Carolina public schools. South Carolina voters also support the teaching of a variety of topics as part of school-based, comprehensive, age-appropriate sexuality education programs.

On Privatization—Competitive Sourcing in State Government (pdf, html)
by Richard D. Young

State governments are increasingly looking to privatization as an alternative means of delivering public programs and services. In this article, privatization is defined and reviewed in a historical context. Additionally, the methods and trends of privatization are touched upon, including a discussion of “how to make privatization work.” Finally, the pros and cons of privatization are summarized.

The South Carolina Washington Semester Program (pdf, html)
by Beth H. Burn and Rebecca J. Johnson

Since 1991, the South Carolina Washington Semester Program has provided honor students from many of South Carolina’s colleges and universities with an opportunity of a lifetime. The Washington Program offers participants a hands-on experience to live, study, and work for a semester in Washington, D.C. This article provides a history and description of the program and, additionally, spotlights some alumni experiences of how the Washington Semester Program’s has impacted their lives.