Organizational and Governance in American Education EDU 548 - Spring 2013 Semester Thursday, March 14, 2013 Chapter Eleven Presentation: “Schools As Political Systems” Presented by: Anyha Lord-Jerris Professor: Dr. Lauren Larsen

Overview The myth that public education should be nonpolitical; The following concepts will be examined: System shock Decisional power The difference between politics, governance, and policy; A paradigm of educational policymaking – The Stage Model of Policymaking.

THE Myth that politics and Education do not mix Apolitical Myth of Schooling (popular since the early 1900s) Public schools and politics should be separated; Politics should not in anyway influence educational decisions; Schools and people who work there should remain pure and untainted by the evils of politics.

THE Myth that politics and Education do not mix The Source of the Myth It is a belief shared by professional educators and the general public for various reasons. Professional Educators believe: 1.Being viewed as political they may develop a lack of trust with the public because the public has little confidence in politics and politicians. 2. Educators should be neutral on a broad range of school issues such as spending so that it does not appear that they are advancing their own interests and agendas. Apolitical myth began in the early 20th century during the Progressive era amidst political problems such as corrupt contracts, party bosses, and machine politics.

The Progressives reformed school politics by removing politics from schools by the following means: Advocating for smaller school boards Non-partisian school board elections At-large school elections More credentials for prospective teachers and administrators University presidents and Deans of education worked together to create a “closed” system “Closed”, “Apolitical System”

Proponents of the “closed system” adopted the Corporate model Citywide Boards of Education (Board of Directors) Superintendents (Chief Executive Officer) Principals (Plant Managers) Teachers (Workers) The Corporate Model Centralized school organization

Challenges to the myth System Shock New groups with different views of schooling challenged professionals; The groups made their voices heard through board elections and lobbying; Filing of lawsuits; System shock is as a result of the belief by critics that public schools are failures.

Challenges to the Myth: System Shock System Regularity refers to set routine (for example of a system routine is a lesson plan) (Refer to page 232: System regularity uses) System Regularity Disrupted – System Shock War, economic depression, or widespread dissatisfaction with government policies; Major historical example of system shock was the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision on desegregation of American schools in 1954); Horace Mann’s introduction of ideas about free public education; Introduction of vocational programs in the early 20th century; No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB).

Decisional power Community support is a major source of political power. Importance of power is illustrated by two common questions: 1. Why is the music curriculum typically the first to be cut in a budget crunch? 2. Why do coaches become principals more often than other teachers do?

Dominance in Decision Making 20th Century School Boards at the State and Local and legislatures formally made the decisions The School Boards supported decisions recommended by professionals (Administrators) Parents accepted the decisions of the professionals therefore there was a support for professional dominance

Groups challenging The Dominance of Administrators Professional Dominance Parent Organizations Teachers’ Unions Ethnic Groups State & National Governments

Challenges of decision Making Conflict Resolution in Policymaking Finding methods to resolve conflicts; Stakeholders seek to impose multiple values on public schools; Superintendents spend a lot of their time on public relations activities; New role of administrators “the politician” Dual Role of Today’s Educational Leaders Teachers and administrators must simultaneously think and act as educators and politicians.

Politics, Governance, and policy Politics – “refers to the social conflict that develops when groups that differ in values and goals seek to influence public policy”. Governance – “refers to a constitutional mechanism established to provide a legal, orderly way to resolve political conflicts”. Policy – “substantive decisions, commitments, and actions made by those who hold or affect government positions of authority, as they are interpreted by various stakeholders”. Political Conflict (An Issue(s)) Governance (Conflict resolved by the state constitution or law) Policy (Adopted to Resolve Conflict)

Four Questions of Special importance today What should be taught? At what age should various subjects be taught? Who should be permitted to teach? Who should be accountable for student learning?

The stage model of policymaking The Stage Model of Policymaking – developed by political scientist to describe all the policymaking in the United States. It helps people understand how policymaking occurs. Policy Stages Time Stages Public Dissatisfaction 1 Political Pressure (Protests, Pressure Group Activity) Elections: Referendum School Board 2 Authoritative Decision Making Interactions of: Legislative Body, Executive Central Office and Superintendent 3 Public Policy Authorized Administration/Implementation 4 Evaluation of Policy Effects 5 Impact on Group Concerns 6

Conclusion Implementing school policy is more complicated today than it was 40 to 50 years ago. There are several factors that influence and shape the educational policies that are implemented or rejected. School Administrators must continue to evolve so that they are able to address these challenges in an effective manner.