Introduction to Educational Policy

Catalog description

This course is designed to introduce students to major issues in U.S. K-12 education policy including those related to school accountability and other market-based reforms, school finance, school desegregation, teacher labor markets, and curriculum and instruction. Students will build an understanding of the disciplinary frameworks of education policy analysis and learn the methodological tools, approaches, and concepts researchers use to evaluate policy and shape policy debates. Students will also engage with the politics of education policy through an examination of key actors and institutions that influence adoption and implementation at the local, state, and federal levels. This course will offer a variety of opportunities for students to analyze current policy issues through original briefs, research, and translation of their findings to a broader audience. Satisfies Political Science major requirement. Satisfies Educational Studies minor requirement. Satisfies the Justice, Equality, and Community requirement. Satisfies the Social-Scientific Thought requirement.