American Education History and Policy

3 credits · Peabody College - Professional

This course examines the history of American education and K-12 policy and considers the ways in which educators, reformers, political leaders, foundations, and parents have historically used public school as both a pathway to individual betterment and an enduring tool of broader social reform. We will explore the social, political, intellectual and historical context of core educational policy areas to include school choice and the charter school movement, mass testing, preschool education, bilingual education/ English language learning, special education, and the push for accountability with special attention to issues of race, class, and ethnicity. Through lectures, shared readings, class discussion, and written work, we will take what scholars have called the long view of education politics, governance, and reform. In so doing, students will gain a more historically grounded understanding of the political debates and policy challenges that have shaped and continue to shape American public education in the present day. [3]