Politics in States and Communities (15 Ed.) Thomas Dye and Susan MacManus

The Politics of Education Chapter 16 The Politics of Education

Learning Objectives Describe the three main goals in education policy. Discuss the various educational performance measures, and assess the quality of student outcomes in the United States. Analyze the effectiveness of efforts to reform education through increased spending, magnet schools, and charter schools. Explain how school vouchers work, evaluate the arguments for and against them, and describe how voters and the courts have reacted to voucher programs. Explain how virtual schools work, and evaluate the arguments for and against them. Outline the Common Core educational standards that have been adopted by most states. Trace the expansion of federal involvement in education policy, and describe the financial contributions for education by federal, state, and local governments. Discuss the core features of No Child Left Behind and the Obama administration’s position on the law. Describe Obama’s Race to the Top initiative, and contrast it with George W. Bush’s No Child Left Behind. Outline the organizational structure that states have developed to provide public education, and describe the financial contributions states provide to local school districts. Describe the inequality in “per student” school funding across states and school districts, evaluate why such inequalities exist, and assess the impact of these inequalities on educational outcomes. Outline the decision-making processes used in school districts, and assess the impact of teachers unions on these processes. Describe the reach of higher education in the United States, the organizational structure of the higher education system, and the policies enacted by both federal and state governments to fund higher education and student loans. Evaluate the arguments for and against public support for private schools, discuss the constitutional limits on such support as determined by the U.S. Supreme Court, and summarize the current status of prayer in public schools. Outline the challenges schools face in protecting students from criminals and bullies while at school. © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Goals in Educational Policy Educating Citizens Advancing Social Goals Strengthening the Economy Inputs – Measures of resources expended on education Outputs – Measures of what pupils are learning © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Educational Performance Measurement Educational Attainment The Dropout Rate Event Dropouts Status Dropouts High School Graduation Rate SAT Scores: Verbal, math, and writing scores obtained on the national College Board Scholastic Assessment Test, required for admission to many colleges and universities © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Educational Attainment by Race [Note that the top chart has an obvious error in the high school graduation rate for Blacks in 2008; the correct figure (from http://www.census.gov/prod/2011pubs/12statab/educ.pdf, Table 229) is 83.0, not 19.6.] © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

SAT Score Trends © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Average SAT Scores by Race/Ethnicity © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Educational Performance © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Educational Reform Sociologist James Coleman demonstrated that pupil expenditures, teacher salaries, classroom size, facilities, and materials were unrelated to student achievement. Educational Spending Magnet Schools: Schools emphasizing instruction in particular areas in an effort to improve quality and attract students. Charter Schools: Schools operated with public funds by private community groups under a charter from public school districts or other granting agency. © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

The Debate over School Vouchers The Pro-Voucher Argument Opposition to Vouchers Voters Reject Vouchers Vouchers as a Constitutional Issue © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Virtual Schools A school where classes are taught entirely through online methods which can be attended by the student at any location by logging on to their computers and receiving instructions over the Internet. Two formats: Fully online classes: All course instruction and activities are completed via computer. Blended learning classes: Virtual school courses that combine in-person and online instruction. © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

The Common Core State Standards Initiative The governors and the state education commissioners, through the National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers, worked together to create a set of common standards in English Language arts (writing, speaking and listening, language) and mathematics to be used at the K-12 level to prepare students for success in college, work, and life. © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

The Federal Role in Education Early Federal Aid Elementary and Secondary Education Act (Title I) – The Federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act later amended into a federal block grant (Title I) to states to improve education. Head Start © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Sources of Funds for Public Education in the United States © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Testing Parental Choice State Flexibility Controversy No Child Left Behind Waivers © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Obama’s Education Agenda Race to the Top Tying teacher and principal pay to student test scores Adopting international benchmark standards and assessments Finding effective programs to turn around failing schools Building data systems that measure student success and track students throughout their educational career Loosening legal requirements for charter schools © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Organizing Public Education in the States State Supervision State Boards of Education State Commissioners of Education State Departments of Education School District Consolidation State Financial Control © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Battles Over School Finances Variation among states: In 2012, per pupil expenditures ranged from $6,683 in Arizona to $18,616 in New York Inequalities among school districts: Funding usually linked to property taxes, which vary widely School inequalities as a Constitutional issue: Supreme Court ruled that a state does not have to equalize its educational resources State funds versus local property taxes: A problem of equity © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Financing Public Schools © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Governing Local Schools The school district superintendents: Are usually professionally trained educators, either appointed or elected School boards: 90,000 people serve on them, though disproportionately from “educational families” Teachers unions: Most of the nation’s 4 million teachers are organized, into either the NEA or the AFT © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

The Politics of Higher Education Community Colleges University Governance University Presidents The Faculty The Unions State Legislatures Federal Role Federal Student Aid © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Higher Education in America © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Reading, Writing, and Religion “Free Exercise” and Private Religious Schools The Meaning of “No Establishment” Support for Public Aid to Religious Schools Opposition to Public Aid to Religious Schools “Excessive Entanglement” and the “Lemon Test” Prayer in the Schools © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved

New Challenge: Creating Safe Learning Environments Making schools a safe learning environment has become a very difficult but vital task for state lawmakers, local school officials, and college and university administrators. © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Bullying Is a Problem that Spans across Demographics © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

On the Web www.nea.org The National Education Association http://www.aasa.org/ The American Association of School Administrators www.ed.gov U.S. Department of Education © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.