Policy and Politics of Education Reform

3 Credits

Examines enduring issues embedded in the recurrent efforts to reform US public schools, such as: How do we achieve the "elusive ideal" of equitable educational opportunity for all students? How might we structure public school systems and develop their capacity to meet the multiple academic, social, economic, political, and cultural responsibilities governments assign to them? Under what conditions might market-based initiatives be a viable reform option? What sorts of education and social policies may be required to improve the learning experiences and life chances of children and youth in the US? This course provides opportunities to analyze prominent approaches to education reform (e.g. altering governance arrangements, expanding access and opportunity, improving instruction, instituting standards-based high stakes accountability systems, expanding school choice, privatizing the management and delivery of educational programs, linking school reform to more comprehensive social services and safety nets). It also provides opportunities to analyze the political forces that give rise to various genres of education reform proposals.