APPLICATION: CONTEXT OF EDUCATION POLICY AND DEVELOPMENT

A rash of student suicides has drawn attention to bullying, and by extension, to the climate of schools in the United States. What does it take for a problem to be perceived as a priority? In this Assignment, you will consider historical, economic, and social factors that elevate problems to the top of the public policy agenda. To prepare for this assignment: Select a recently enacted education policy in your state by reviewing the Department of Education website or proceedings of the state legislature. Research the development of the policy by reviewing primary sources (e.g., meeting minutes, correspondence, testimony, etc.) and media accounts.

Assignment scenario:

You are a state superintendent of schools. A neighboring state wants to implement one of your policies. They come to you for more information about the factors that led to its development.

Assignment instructions

Create a 5-page report with three sections:

Section I: Background information

• Examples: the nature of the problem, advocates and adversaries, alternative approaches, etc.

Section II: Contextual factors

• Historical antecedents
• Economic factors
• Social movements
• Other

Section III: Synthesis

• Lessons learned
• Stone, D. (2012). Policy paradox: The art of political decision making (3rd ed.). New York, NY: W. W. Norton and Company, Inc.
  • Chapter 7, “Symbols”
  • Chapter 8, “Numbers”
  • Chapter 9, “Causes”
  • Chapter 10, “Interests”
  • Chapter 11, “Decisions”

  Focus on the strategic importance of problem labeling in a political community. Look at the constructs that decision makers use to frame problems and shape alliances. You will use Stone’s framework to analyze the work of the National School Climate Center (NSCC) in the Module 2 Discussion.Anyon, J. (2009). Progressive social movements and educational equity.

Links to an external site.Education Policy, 23(1), 194–217. doi:10.1177/0895904808328523Focus on the relationship between broad-based social movements, such as the civil rights and labor movements, and education policymaking. Anyon’s exploration of current social movements and related alliances illustrate the importance of social context in policy development. Look for evidence of social movements in the policy that you analyze for your Assignment.Fowler, F. C. (n.d.). Policy studies for educational leaders: An introduction. Links to an external site.Retrieved May 20, 2016

• Chapter 7, “Setting the Stage and Getting on It; Issue Definition and Agenda Setting”

Note: Chapters 6 and 8 are suggested in Module 3.Roach, V., Smith, L. W., & Boutin, J. (2011). School leadership policy trends and developments: Policy expediency or policy excellence? Educational Administration Quarterly, 47(1), 71–113. Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.