Despite a growing chorus among conservatives about the problem of politics in the classroom, those on the right have struggled to advance long-term solutions to it. Indeed, up to now, state lawmakers concerned about politics in the classroom have typically faced a binary choice. The following three options to protect students from radical politics…

This dissertation systematically explores the origins and evolution of the charter school movement in the United States from 1985 to 2015. I begin by analyzing the role of governors in K-12 education policymaking and find that while governors have generally placed greater emphasis on K-12 education policy over time, Republican governors have…

This paper analyses the political motives that underlie the increased educational control exercised by reinstalling and reinforcing school inspection during the periods of 2001-2003 and 2006-2008. These periods cover both social democratic and non-socialist governments, with different parties in office. The paper draws on an approach to scrutinize…

Beginning in 2010, more than 40 states adopted the Common Core State Standards. In the years immediately following their adoption, educators, parents, and policymakers familiar with the standards strongly supported them. Both Republicans and Democrats heralded the Common Core as one of the most promising school reforms in decades. Fast forward to…

In December 2007, political violence erupted in Kenya after a general election. Both Kenya and the international community were confronted with the question as to why citizens of a hitherto peaceful nation would engage in acts of hooliganism and violence after exercising a democratic right in a national election. This paper examines how new…

Systematic analysis of educational problems has had less impact on policy than its proponents in the United States had expected and is meeting with increasingly strong opposition from some segments of the traditional decisionmaking process. Suggests that such analysis will have little impact on policy until it is properly integrated into the…

Recent years have seen a rash of national task force reports on the status of American schools. Too many of them have political motives and are designed to alarm, rather than inform. Specific reports are discussed. (Author/RM)

The results of the introduction of politics into education can be a new kind of leadership that pursues educational goals through the acceptable, honorable, democratic processes of this country. (Author/IRT)

Outlines some of the factors related to the politics of planning at the Federal level in the United States and concludes that this is a wasteful and unproductive way in which to conduct a public service such as education. (Author/WM)

Discusses the particular context of policy system and adaptation when perceived as politicized phenomena, describes a macro policy system--those responsible for the university and college preparation of educational administrators--under stress conditions, and speculates on the "natural" process of adaptation that occurs within this policy context.…

Examined the political rise and fall of the Louisiana Teacher Evaluation Program (LATEP), the centerpiece of the state's educational reform efforts. Study findings suggest that the political problems encountered by LATEP arose from competing program theories and competing implementation theories. Findings underscore the pitfalls associated with…

The author talks about what the relationship between education and politics should be in England. Discussed are the priority of education within the spectrum of social policy, the social and economic effects of educational change, technocratic versus political consideration, time-span for educational change, and the professional dimension.…

A fundamental point of friction between the planner and the politician is the politician's need to seek immediate results and the planner's willingness to sacrifice the immediate if he can thereby enhance the long-term gain. (Author/WM)

Policy goals are decided by governments, which are responsible to the public, not by planners or administrators. Once general goals are agreed on, however, it will take technical planning skill, administrative skill, and political judgment to reach them successfully. (Author/WM)

In examining the book "The Changing Politics of Education," the author attacks neo-conservative revisionism that claims that the goals of national policy are either impossible to achieve or undesirable because they frustrate popular will. (Author/IRT)