New & Noteworthy List for September 2023

1. Analyses of Proposed Constitutional Amendments, 88th Texas Legislature, November 7, 2023, Election
By Texas Legislative Council
Provides detailed information on the fourteen joint resolutions passed during the 88th Regular and 2nd Called Sessions of the Texas Legislature that propose amendments to the Texas Constitution. Includes background information, detailed analysis, comments from both supporters and opponents, and the text of each joint resolution to assist voters during the November election.
Texas Legislative Council, 2023. 75 pages.
Online at: https://tlc.texas.gov/docs/amendments/analyses23.pdf
L1400.7 C766 2023

2. The Buying and Selling of American Education: Reimagining a System of Schools for All Children
By Susan Tave Zelman and Margaret Erlandson Sorensen
Explores the history of American education, including how various educational models are organized, governed, and funded, and the results each produces. Discusses trends, such as the standards movement and school choice, and how they have shaped the educational landscape over the years. Offers ways to reform education to create a system that balances the needs of society with those of children and families. Argues that schools' most important focus should be on student needs and desires rather than those of adults in the general public.
Rowman & Littlefield, 2023. 277 pages.
370.973 Z51 2023

3. Condensed Analyses of Proposed Constitutional Amendments: 88th Texas Legislature, November 7, 2023, Election
By Texas Legislative Council
Presents a brief analysis for each of the fourteen joint resolutions proposed to amend the Texas Constitution that passed during 88th Regular and 2nd Called Sessions and will appear on the upcoming November election ballot. Includes the topic, an analysis, and a summary of comments made by supporters and opponents during the legislative process.
Texas Legislative Council, 2023. 15 pages.
Online at: https://tlc.texas.gov/docs/amendments/analyses23_condensed.pdf
L1400.7 C766C 2023

4. Constitutional Amendments Proposed for November 2023 Ballot
By House Research Organization
Describes the process by which constitutional amendments are adopted. Provides information on each of the fourteen proposed amendments that will be submitted for voter approval at the November 7, 2023, general election. Includes background information, analysis, and arguments for and against each proposal.
House Research Organization, 2023. 33 pages.
Online at: https://hro.house.texas.gov/pdf/focus/amend88.pdf
L1801.9 ST94 88-3

5. Merchants of the Right: Gun Sellers and the Crisis of American Democracy
By Jennifer Carlson
Examines how gun sellers responded to the 2020 surge in gun purchases by both conservative and atypical gun buyers due to the coronavirus pandemic, civil unrest, and heightened politics. Addresses gun sellers’ role in conservative politics, including their mobilization of conservative culture mainstays — armed individualism, conspiracism, and partisanship. Explores how conservative gun politics is shaping American democracy.
Princeton University Press, 2023. 272 pages.
363.330973 C284 2023

6. Volatility in State Spending for Higher Education
By Jennifer A. Delaney, Editor
Compiles a collection of essays focusing on the consequences of volatility in state higher education funding and the reasons why higher education is particularly affected. Analyzes the risks of public colleges and universities operating in an uncertain financial environment, and the importance of funding predictability to institutions, students, families, and states.
American Educational Research Association, 2023. 354 pages.
379.1 D337 2023