Fraser TEACH © 2011 McGraw- Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. Chapter 11 Politics: What Is Its Place in Education?

Fraser TEACH © 2011 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. What is the Role of Federal Officials? Most other industrialized countries have a national curriculum and education policies –U.S. education decisions are primarily made at the state and local level

Fraser TEACH © 2011 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. What is the Role of Federal Officials? The Supreme Court has decided many issues impacting schools: –1943 West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette – Students could not be forced to recite Pledge of Allegiance –1954 Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas – Ended racial segregation in schools –1963 Engel v. Vitale – Separation of church and state –1969 Tinker v. et al v. Des Moines Independent Community School District – Freedom of speech

Fraser TEACH © 2011 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. Join the Dialogue Is the court system the best vehicle for resolving educational debates? If not, who (or what) is?

Fraser TEACH © 2011 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. What is the Role of Federal Officials? Recent presidents have been at the forefront of education politics –President Johnson: Elementary and Secondary Education Act –President Reagan: A Nation at Risk report –President George H.W. Bush: America 2000 –President Clinton: Goals 2000 –President George W. Bush: No Child Left Behind Act –President Obama: “Race to the Top” and renewal of Elementary and Secondary Education Act

Fraser TEACH © 2011 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. What Are the Politics Behind the No Child Left Behind Debate? Largest and most controversial level of federal involvement in education NCLB provisions: –Schools have to develop a definition of Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP), which they are expected to achieve –If a school fails to meet AYP for two consecutive years, parents can send students to other schools in the district –Federal sanctions apply to schools and districts –States have to define and employ “highly qualified teachers”

Fraser TEACH © 2011 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. What Are the Politics Behind the No Child Left Behind Debate? Controversy surrounding NCLB –Conservatives believe the bill does too little and accountability is too low, with too many loopholes –Liberals worry that the bill ignores larger social issues that affect certain schools

Fraser TEACH © 2011 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. What Are the Politics Behind the No Child Left Behind Debate? Controversy surrounding NCLB –Others are concerned that The accountability standards push young people out of school Teaching will be changed from a creative effort to a massive test prep program Not enough funding exists to implement all the changes –No two sides exist in the debate and many people like some aspects of the bill while disliking other aspects

Fraser TEACH © 2011 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. What About Me? After what you’ve read, what are your thoughts about No Child Left Behind?

Fraser TEACH © 2011 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. What is the Role of State and Local Politics? Governors, State Legislators, and Departments of Education –Governors and legislators control state spending on education, as well as testing and standards –Departments of Education do majority of work supervising education Academic standards in specific subject areas

Fraser TEACH © 2011 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. What is the Role of State and Local Politics? Local school districts and school boards –School board sets policy for a school district and hires a superintendent to be the full-time senior administrator of the district –In 1930, there were 200,000 school boards compared to 15,000 today –In some cities school boards have been replaced by direct control by the mayor

Fraser TEACH © 2011 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. What is the Role of State and Local Politics? Hiring decisions –School boards hire superintendents –Superintendents hire principals, and for larger districts, human resources directors –Principals and HR directors hire teachers New teachers must connect with the right person in authority in order to get a teaching job

Fraser TEACH © 2011 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. What is the Role of State and Local Politics? Licensure –Based on meeting specific qualifications imposed by the state –Requirements usually include a college degree and time spent in a education program –“Alternative routes,” such as Teach for America, offer teaching opportunities without meeting license requirements

Fraser TEACH © 2011 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. How Do Teachers Make Political Decisions in the Classroom? All aspects of teaching are political –Every decision a teacher makes about raising or not raising an issue is a political decision Valentine’s Day versus Black History month bulletin board Intervening and helping students with their personal problems Start small

Fraser TEACH © 2011 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. Reading: “What Will It Take to Improve American’s Urban Public Schools” by Pedro Noguera Noguera insists that it is not possible to improve urban public schools until community problems are addressed “[U]nless basic human needs are met (e.g., security, housing, nutrition), it is difficult for children to develop and grow up to healthy, well-adjusted adults” Society needs will and conviction to make wide-sweeping changes to education in poor, urban areas –Until then, partial solutions must be created that alleviate the most severe hardships facing students

Fraser TEACH © 2011 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. Reading: From No Child Left Behind and the Public Schools by Scott Franklin Abernathy NCLB goals are necessary and far-reaching, but limited by a lack of solid, empirical research Abernathy provides potential solutions for many of the criticisms aimed at the bill, including: –Fully funding the law –Moving away from status models of measurement –Providing more flexibility and realism –Increasing consistency between states