Education Law Consortium Serves Local, State, and Federal Policymakers

Law and policy decisions about education affect all of us: the newly-established Education Law Consortium, housed at IHE, helps ensure that those decisions are well-informed by research and current, nonpartisan information. A multidisciplinary partnership of leading scholars and practitioners in law, education, policy analysis, governance, finance, statistics, and other fi elds, the Education Law Consortium offers pro bono research, analysis, and information resources for decision-makers.

With its strong tradition of expertise in higher education law, the Institute is one of the inaugural partners of the Consortium, which was founded by Professors John Dayton of the College of Education and Anne Dupre of the UGA School of Law. The Consortium was launched in 2004 with a lecture by Michael Olivas, William B. Bates Professor of Law and the founder and director of the University of Houston Law Center’s Institute for Higher Education Law and Governance. IHE faculty Mel Hill and Doug Toma brought their legal expertise to the discussion, along with  colleagues from across the university.

The Consortium is also bringing broader expertise and audiences to bear on IHE’s long tradition of annual conferences on higher education and  the law. In recognition of the 35th anniversary of this series, the July 2004 conference focused on the connections between K-12 and higher education law and policy. Distinguished speakers including Mary Ann Connell, Gary Pavela, and Ben Baez—as well as IHE’s own Parker Young—addressed issues such as law and religion in K-12 and higher education, risk management and disability issues, and the 50th anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education, forging important new connections between K-12 and postsecondary education at both the practical and conceptual levels.

Through research reports, Web and database resources, and law and policy forums, the Education Law Consortium will support educational  improvement by integrating scholarship and practice to serve law- and policy-makers. Informed policy-makers are the backbone of effective policy in any field, but are especially so concerning the educational system that shapes our future.