Much of the failure of recent policy efforts to improve education can be attributed to inconsistency, lack of unified purpose, and an emphasis on low-level skills. This book offers the first in-depth look at systemic school reform, and shows educators at the district, state, and federal levels how to coordinate the various elements of policy infrastructure around a new set of ambitious, common goals for what students should know and be able to do. Sponsored by the Consortium for Policy Research in Education.
Shaping Education Policy is a comprehensive overview of education politics and policy during the most turbulent and rapidly changing period in American history. Respected scholars review the history of education policy to explain the political powers and processes that shape education today. Chapters cover major themes that have influenced education, including the civil rights movement, federal involvement, the accountability movement, family choice, and development of nationalization and globalization. Sponsored by the Politics of Education Association, this edited collection examines the tumultuous shifts in education policy over the last six decades and projects the likely future of public education. This book is a necessary resource for understanding the evolution, current status, and possibilities of educational policy and politics.
Nina Bascia, Alister Cumming, Amanda Datnow, Kenneth Leithwood and David Livingstone This Handbook presents contemporary and emergent trends in educational policy research, in over ?fty chapters written by nearly ninety leading researchers from a number of countries. It is organized into ?ve broad sections which capture many of the current dominant educational policy foci and at the same time situate current understandings historically, in terms of both how they are conceptualized and in terms of past policy practice. The chapters themselves are empirically grounded, providing illustrations of the conceptual implications c- tained within them as well as allowing for comparisons across them. The se- re?exivity within chapters with respect to jurisdictional particularities and c- trasts allows readers to consider not only a range of approaches to policy analysis but also the ways in which policies and policy ideas play out in di?erent times and places. The sections move from a focus on prevailing policy tendencies through increasingly critical and ‘‘outsider’’ perspectives on policy. They address, in turn, the contemporary strategic emphasis on large-scale reform; substantive emphases at several levels – on leadership and governance, improving teacher quality and conceptualizing learning in various domains around the notion of literacies and concluding, ?nally, with a contrasting topic, workplace learning, which has had less policy attention and thus allows readers to consider both the advantages and disadvantages of learning and teaching under the bright gaze of policy.
Co-published by Routledge for the American Educational Research Association (AERA) Educational policy continues to be of major concern. Policy debates about economic growth and national competitiveness, for example, commonly focus on the importance of human capital and a highly educated workforce. Defining the theoretical boundaries and methodological approaches of education policy research are the two primary themes of this comprehensive, AERA-sponsored Handbook. Organized into seven sections, the Handbook focuses on (1) disciplinary foundations of educational policy, (2) methodological perspectives, (3) the policy process, (4) resources, management, and organization, (5) teaching and learning policy, (6) actors and institutions, and (7) education access and differentiation. Drawing from multiple disciplines, the Handbook’s over one hundred authors address three central questions: What policy issues and questions have oriented current policy research? What research strategies and methods have proven most fruitful? And what issues, questions, and methods will drive future policy research? Topics such as early childhood education, school choice, access to higher education, teacher accountability, and testing and measurement cut across the 63 chapters in the volume. The politics surrounding these and other issues are objectively analyzed by authors and commentators. Each of the seven sections concludes with two commentaries by leading scholars in the field. The first considers the current state of policy design, and the second addresses the current state of policy research. This book is appropriate for scholars and graduate students working in the field of education policy and for the growing number of academic, government, and think-tank researchers engaged in policy research. For more information on the American Educational Research Association, please visit: http://www.aera.net/.
This book presents an ambitious model for how educators can design high-quality, challenging, and supportive learning opportunities for English Learners and other students identified to be in need of language and literacy support. Starting with the premise that conceptual, analytic, and language practices develop simultaneously as students engage in disciplinary learning, the authors argue for instruction that amplifies—rather than simplifies—expectations, concepts, texts, and learning tasks. The authors offer clear guidance for designing lessons and units and provide examples that demonstrate the approach in various subject areas, including math, science, English, and social studies. This practical resource will guide teachers through the coherent design of tasks, lessons, and units of study that invite English Learners (and all students) to engage in productive, meaningful, and intellectually engaging activity. “This book offers the most detailed guide available for designing instruction for students categorized as ELLs. Theoretically grounded and informed by years of implementation and study, this work is without equal in the field. I recommend the book enthusiastically as required reading in all teacher preparation programs.” —Guadalupe Valdés, Bonnie Katz Tenenbaum Professor of Education, Stanford Graduate School of Education “Reflecting its title, this book is an amplification of what it means to provide the best learning opportunities for English Language learners. Drawing on classroom-based research, Amplifying the Curriculum offers many practical examples of intellectually engaging units and tasks. This innovative book belongs on the bookshelves of all teachers.” —Pauline Gibbons, UNSW Sydney “This timely book is a call to educators across the nation to integrate language, literacy, and disciplinary knowledge to improve the education of our new American students.” —Tatyana Kleyn, The City College of New York
What exactly is education policy, why is it important, and how is it implemented in the real world? Jerome Delaney, a professor of educational administration and former high school principal, answers the big questions about education policy in this powerful and practical primer for students. Informed by his experience in the public school system, Delaney takes a pragmatic and realistic approach that divides a complicated subject into manageable sub-topics. He grounds the debate at the classroom level: after all, that’s where the effects of high-level policy decisions ultimately play out. Starting from the basics and progressing through to the deeper aspects of education policy, this text provides an excellent introduction to a subject that lies at the foundation of every education system. This second edition includes a new chapter on issues relating to policy implementation, as well as new discussion questions at the end of each chapter. Topics include: A beginner’s overview of education policy studies. How values influence policy-making. How education policy is developed, implemented, and evaluated. The role of policy in education reform. The future of education policy as schools adapt to changing societies.
Too often in today’s science classes, students learn isolated facts but are unprepared to apply scientific thinking outside of checking off answers on standardized tests. Designing Coherent Science Education demonstrates how effective instruction, supported by research-based curriculum materials and technologies, prepares learners to use scientific principles to make sense of the world around them. Arising from the National Science Foundation-funded Delineating and Evaluating Coherent Instructional Designs for Education (DECIDE) project, this volume brings together experts in curriculum development, technology-assisted learning, diversity, teacher education, and assessment to consider strategies that will help students achieve a more integrated understanding of science. Offering important policy recommendations, this practical resource: Provides a set of design principles for the next generation of curriculum materials, both print and technology-based. Synthesizes current research on the most promising methods and models for coherent science instruction. Discusses how courses can help students interpret contemporary scientific dilemmas like global warming and personally relevant issues like health and disease. Contributors include Jane Bowyer, Allan Collins, Elizabeth A. Davis, George E. DeBoer, Joseph S. Krajcik, Roy D. Pea, and James Slotta.
In recent years educational policy studies have taken on a new significance. There is a growing recognition of education as a strategic factor in national economic welfare, and this has resulted in educational policy becoming a high-priority issue. From an exploration of the term “educational policy studies” to in-depth examinations of what can make or break an educational policy, this straightforward text clarifies both the background issues and the purely technical matters that can affect policy. Jerome Delaney has broken down the issues and practical concerns involved in educational policy studies by chapter, and not only provides an overview of the current literature surrounding each issue, but also offers a more practical take based on his experiences as a high school principal.
What is understanding and how does it differ from knowledge? How can we determine the big ideas worth understanding? Why is understanding an important teaching goal, and how do we know when students have attained it? How can we create a rigorous and engaging curriculum that focuses on understanding and leads to improved student performance in today's high-stakes, standards-based environment? Authors Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe answer these and many other questions in this second edition of Understanding by Design. Drawing on feedback from thousands of educators around the world who have used the UbD framework since its introduction in 1998, the authors have greatly revised and expanded their original work to guide educators across the K-16 spectrum in the design of curriculum, assessment, and instruction. With an improved UbD Template at its core, the book explains the rationale of backward design and explores in greater depth the meaning of such key ideas as essential questions and transfer tasks. Readers will learn why the familiar coverage- and activity-based approaches to curriculum design fall short, and how a focus on the six facets of understanding can enrich student learning. With an expanded array of practical strategies, tools, and examples from all subject areas, the book demonstrates how the research-based principles of Understanding by Design apply to district frameworks as well as to individual units of curriculum. Combining provocative ideas, thoughtful analysis, and tested approaches, this new edition of Understanding by Design offers teacher-designers a clear path to the creation of curriculum that ensures better learning and a more stimulating experience for students and teachers alike.
