Politics of School Reform

1 Course Unit

In this seminar we'll explore the political causes and consequences of school reform in the post-Brown era. Coverage will be eclectic so as to give participants a broad, interdisciplinary background in the field. We'll draw primarily from politics of education scholarship, but we'll reach beyond and examine work from political science, sociology, and history. We'll structure our exploration by considering five fundamental approaches to school reform: (1) equal opportunity, (2) standards and accountability, (3) professionalization and teacher effectiveness, (4) marketization and private sector initiatives, and (5) community control. 1 Course Unit