Home - EDAD 5376 Research Guide - Subject and Course Guides at University of Texas at Arlington

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Overviews

The links below will take you to overviews of the legislative process in Texas. If you live and work in a different state, chances are that similar sites exist for you, too. To find them, head to Google and type:

<yourState> legislature

Explore your state's legislative website to find these kinds of overviews. If you have trouble, please let me know and I'll hunt them down for you!

Texas Legislature Online: How a Bill Becomes a Law
Introduction to the legislative process. A great first stop in understanding how new policies and laws are created in Texas. Introduces the role of committees.
Texas Legislature Online: Process for a Senate Bill
Graphical depiction of how a Senate bill makes it into law. Almost identical to the diagram for a House bill, just flipped. Link on the page will take you to the House bill version.

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Kinds of Information

When researching a particular policy or an issue as it relates to state legislative processes, you may come across a variety of different kind sof information, each serving a different purpose. Here are some kinds of information you may find yourself using in this course, and what they are good for:

Scholarly Articles
The articles are written by researchers and experts in the field. They will take a policy or issue and apply critical analysis to explain why policies are in place or the impact of policy on education.
News Articles
Articles out of newspapers or magazines will be much easier to read than scholarly articles, but will not dive too deeply into the impact or reasoning behind the topics you're studying. They are great for getting quotes from the major players involved in decision-making.
Books
Books are better for historical or broad looks at big issues or topics - like No Child Left Behind or the textbook market.
Case Law
In the case of Irving ISD vs. Tatro, the Supreme Court ruled that individuals with health impairments are entitled to public schooling. This is one example of how case law influences school rules and policies. This page will help you find cases.
State Governmental Information
Governments often put up the full text of bills that are going or have gone through the legislative process, as well as records of the debates and arguments surrounding the bills. Links to relevant state agencies and laws are included.

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