In turning a spotlight on students in physical education, this paper seeks to extend applications of policy enactment theory, and particularly, the policy actor framework. Following the lead of Stephen Ball and colleagues, the research that this paper draws on examined the various dimensions of context shaping policy enactment in different…

In recent years, state policy makers have passed legislation to improve civics education in order to address the persistently low levels of youth civic engagement. However, there is considerable disagreement about what types of learning experiences best prepare students to be active, engaged civic actors. Should students have direct instruction in…

This paper examines mechanisms in the Japanese education system that 'bring in' knowledge of practice to the process of policy translation. The paper firstly draws on the enactment of recent curriculum reforms in Japan to define a group of actors -- practitioner advocates -- who utilise their identity as members of the teaching community to…

This study is a language policy ethnography of the families of four Latina fifth-grade students at a TWBE elementary school as they transition to middle school. Parents and their children jointly acted as policy agents as they navigated the school district's open enrollment system and, through their choices, co-created policy. Situated within…

This article examines and critiques gap-based education policies that are based on statistical and reductive conceptualisations of success for First Nations students in Australia. The policy desire to achieve social justice underpinned by parity of outcomes across a range of life indicators (including standardised English literacy) between First…

In urban areas like New York City, school choice systems intend to break the connection between residential segregation and schooling by allowing students to attend schools outside their neighborhoods. If successful, school choice could benefit historically underserved students. However, recent research suggests that achievement gaps and…

Parents are one of the most important factors promoting children's educational success. Using parent survey data from rural primary and middle schools in one county, this study examines the implementation of the parent councils (PCs) policy in rural China, specifically, the relationships among PCs, school-based parent involvement (PI), and parent…

While the sociopolitical policy of inclusion is the norm in public education, some teachers still struggle with knowing how to meet the educational needs of students with disabilities (SWDs) in general education classrooms. The purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to investigate general and special education middle school teachers'…

Current policy in England, informed by a version of cognitive science, enforces an absolute distinction between experts and novices, or teachers and learners; from this binary, operating in tandem with regimes of performativity instantiated in a curriculum shaped by high-stakes testing, are derived particular forms of pedagogy and particular…

This qualitative study explored 15 early career physical education (PE) teachers' professional identity construction from rural China. Identity was shown as a multifaceted, context-specific, and dynamic social-cultural phenomenon. From a socio-ecological standpoint, this research demonstrated that early career rural Chinese PE teachers'…

The purpose of this dissertation was to scrutinize the complexities involved in the formulation and implementation of relevant policies. The design of each study mirrored key elements in the legislative life cycle specifically as it pertained to civics education policymaking, including problem identification, policy creation, and policy diffusion.…

Currently, the perceived use of critical theoretical frameworks to shape instruction in public K-12 education is undergoing intense scrutiny in popular and political debate. Chief among such frameworks has been Critical Race Theory (CRT), which, at the time of this writing, has been legally banned or restricted in eighteen states -- with similar…

Debates about grade retention weigh the academic benefits of remediation against its social and psychological costs. Louisiana adopted a retention policy aimed at capturing these benefits while mitigating the harm. It used test score thresholds to distinguish between retention in grade 8, promotion to grade 9, and a grade "8.5" where…

Background or Context: Federal and state reforms have expanded accountability systems for school districts, schools, and teachers. However, there is little evidence that the implementation of new teacher evaluation systems relying on measures of student learning and measures of teaching practice, with differentiated performance categories and…

ArtScan at a Glance summarizes state policies for arts education identified in statute or administrative code for all 50 states, plus the District of Columbia and the Department of Defense Education Activity. Information is based on a comprehensive search of state education statute and codes on each state's relevant websites. Complete results from…