exam 2 Flashcards
governmental actors in education governance (7)
- legislature and individual legislators
- legislative staff
- governors
- state board of education
- chief state school officers
- state department of education
- judicial branch
legislature and individual legislators (5)
- policymaking
- approving the budget/funding for education
- exercising its investigatory functions
- education committees
- financial committees
legislative staff (3)
- office staff: controls access to the legislature
- professional staff: have professional experience with previous legislation
- centralized staff agency: can be called upon for research
governors (2)
- highly influential; catalyst for issues
- usually able to bring the 3 policy streams together to create a policy window
state board of education (6)
5 major legislative tasks:
1. develop the regulations for implementing education policy
2. approve the certificate requirements for both teachers and administrators
3. monitor the educational assessment (standardized tests)
4. decide what the minimum requirements to graduate high school are
5. decide what the accreditation standards are
judicial task:
1. appeals process
chief state school officers (3)
- usually professional educators
- serve as the head of the state’s Department of Education
- can have a great influence on the direction of the board
state department of education (2)
- headed by the CSSOs
- carry out policy (collecting data, ensuring school compliance)
judicial branch
plays a vital role, especially in school financing
non-governmental actors in education governance (2)
- education interest groups (teachers unions, NEA, PTO)
- non-education interest groups (religious/ethnic groups, think tanks, Chamber of Commerce)
pros of the centralized bureaucracy in educational governance (3)
- standardize the delivery of education
- more equitable allocation of resources
- has the organizational capacity
cons of the centralized bureaucracy in educational governance (3)
- expensive and inefficient
- emphasize process over results
- inflexible
governance reform efforts (2)
- decentralized, consumer-driven reforms (school-based management, open enrollment)
- more centralized approaches (state takeovers, mayoral takeovers)
evidence between governance and educational outcomes like student achievement (2)
- research often focuses on how policies were implemented rather than if the policy was successful
- unclear connection between governance and outcomes: what are the causal factors? what makes a student do better?
in principle, the role of school boards…
were to provide public credibility, stewardship, and direction to local education as well as a political vehicle for the citizenry to exercise authority over the schools
Delargardelle’s main conditions for effective school boards (5)
- setting clear expectations for measurable outcomes
- ensure conditions for success
- build the collective will of staff and community
- time to learn together as a board
- accountability for themselves and the staff to reach instructional goals
influences on the roles of superintendents and school boards (5)
- a general loss of confidence in institutions and leaders
- an increase in special interest group activism
- more expectations from the public for involvement in policy decision-making
- a growing cultural, ideological, and values divide in local communities
- a shift to centrist policymaking coupled with a simultaneous devolution to distributed leadership and shared decision-making
general trends of mayoral takeovers (3)
- improved student achievement in the elementary grades
- helped the lowest-achieving schools
- lowered per-pupil costs
differences between old and new fundamentalism (2)
- the movements’ respective goals: whereas old fundamentalism basicially sought to protect Protestant status and privilege, new fundamentalism seeks to reclaim some measure of status and privilege in public life
- where old fundamentalism was bipartisan, and sought to influence Democratic and Republican views on issues ranging from the teaching of Darwinism to legislation against liquor, new fundamentalism is closely identified with the Republican Party
similarities between old and new fundamentalism (2)
- both old and new fundamentalism were united on a core set of issues that were considered central to their faith identities
- outside of these core issues, fundamentalist consensus in both eras began to fray on issues that were considered more peripheral such as anti-Masonry for the old fundamentalists or educational politics for the new fundamentalists
reasons for the decline of old fundamentalism (2)
- the decline of anti-modernism as a political issue
- the onset of a common foreign threat to communism
the 2 centralizing themes of the Christian right
- the attempt to restore to American life the sanctity of family
- appropriate rules of sexual conduct and belief
both of which are rooted in the conviction that Christian morality has been replaced by secular values
criticisms of the single salary approach to teacher compensation (4)
- fails to attract and attain high-quality teachers
- market demand
- teacher performance
- high-ability individuals
concerns about merit pay programs (3)
- validity of evaluation procedures
- goals other than student achievement
- distorts incentives that are often important for teaching (cooperation)
framework for understanding policy studies (4)
- what’s the motivation?: is the research following good scholarly practices?
- what’s working, why is it working, and how?
- what’s the method?: are there any methodical flaws?
- what’s the prescription?: what is the recommendation based on a study?
types of school choice programs (2)
- limited educational choice (magnet schools, alternative learning centers, open enrollment, charter schools)
- full educational choice (vouchers, private scholarship programs, tax credits)
3 types of educational entrepreneurial categories
- school builders
- talent providers
- tool builders and service providers
school builders
launch new schools and new networks of schools
talent providers
focus on improving the quality of instruction and leadership by finding more promising ways to recruit, develop, and support
tool builders and service providers
provide distance learning, instructional devices, data systems, curricula, educational programs, or other services that leverage technology or research
the formal barriers to innovation
the laws, rules, and regulations that mandate particular behavior, from staffing ratios to funding formulae