Influence of Public Policy on Education - Essay Example

Public Policy and the Influences that Affect Education 27 March, 2007 Public Policy and the Influences that Affect Education In any organized government, some type of control must be maintained. This is the purpose of public policy, a method by which both legal and political constraints or limitations are set up by the government in order to create boundaries for the population to follow. Educational public policy follows this format, but because it so strongly affects the general population and its policies have always been mostly determined in the past by individual state departments, its development is influenced by many factors that are apt to contradict each other, depending on the interests of the various policy makers. In the United States, education has been the responsibility of state governments, and local politics have a great deal to do with determining public policy. Even so, the federal government has recently intervened, and the state government bodies in some cases resent this intervention. The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) legislature of 2001 initiated by President George W. Bush has created controversy in every area of educational public policy. Special interest groups and organizations are focusing on areas such as special education, literacy, teacher certification, religion, scientific research, and lack of funds, which means that those most influential in the field of education are presently acting as political lobbyists. With the growing intervention of the federal government in education, politics rises to the forefront, even more than it has in past years. In an effort to show how various factions of education influence public policy, this paper will cover the areas noted above, noting specific controversies. Two areas in which state education policies are quite different are in New York State and in California. Because of this, different methods of applying federal policies have been necessary. In New York State, the Education Department is under the control of the University of the State of New York (USNY). USNY is the most complete interconnected system of educational services in the United States. It is not the same as the State University of New York (SUNY), which is the State's system of public colleges and universities. The Board of Regents heads USNY and sets overall educational policy for the State. The Board appoints a Commissioner of Education who heads the State Education Department and also serves as the president of USNY (Mills, 2007). This system revolves around education as a separate entity, and this allows for more political freedom to make decisions. In California, the State Board of Education (SBE) is the governing and policy making body of the California Department of Education. Unlike the New York State system in which the Board of Regents appoints a Commissioner of Education, the Governor appoints the members of the SBE (California, 2007). In this process, politics determine changes in public policy. No Child Left Behind According to Christopher T. Cross (2004), the "evolution of the federal role in education is a study in American politics" (Chapter 1, p. 1). Special interest groups in the last part of the twentieth century have covered a broad range of interests-bilingual education, women's studies, African American studies, and prayer in the classroom, to name a few. At present, recognition of these issues has been incorporated into the NCLB law, which has been in effect since 2002. Cross believes that federal policy in education will have an increasing impact in the coming decades and calls for policymakers and practitioners to gain a better understanding of the history of U.S. education and the future role of a federal Department of Education. He covers 50 years of federal education policy in his book and discusses the most recent effort in this field-the No Child Left Behind law of 2001, which he considers the catalyst for change brought about in this country by "consistent erosion in student performance, especially by students who were poor or [were] a racial minority" (Cross, p. 114). Comparisons Between New York and California Schools Because New York and California are high-population areas, comparing them as to public policy will show the differences in their efforts to improve standards in education. In New York State, the Board of Regents has made a commitment to engage everyone-in business, health and mental health, local and state government, community organizations, education and most all parents and students-in a continuing communication (Board, 2006). At present, a global economy is influencing public policy in all areas, but especially in education. The Board sets forth future goals from preschool through college. New York has not raised learning standards since 1996, and the Board presents its plan to do so by revising regents exams and increasing teacher certifications. Although an effort has been made to narrow the gap between wealthy school districts and high-needs schools, the improvement has been minimal, and the Board calls for cooperation among major statewide organizations as well as the federal government to fund needed improvements. One of the most important goals is to develop a more cohesive data system incorporating into a single system the data on local school districts, BOCES (Board of Cooperative Educational Services), the State Education Department, individual institutions of higher education, and SUNY and CUNY. System P-16 data collection will also support policy decision-making by the Regents (Board, 2006, p. 15) The problems that exist in the California schools are similar to those in New York schools with, for instance, the most inexperienced teachers in the neediest school districts and with lack of funds for repairing and rebuilding schools. However, California schools show education funding far below other states, including New York (Carroll et al, 2005). In the 1970s, California schools were considered excellent, but over time quality has deteriorated. Comparison with New York schools shows differences in educational reform, for instance, lower levels of funding in California as compared to New York and other high population states. "The combination of a student population with relatively great needs, relatively low funding levels, and relatively inadequate resources may have contributed to California's comparatively low levels of student academic achievement" (Carroll et al, 2005). Economy and Public Policy It is David Berliner's contention that the failure of many schools in the NCLB "report card" is due to poverty. High rates of unemployment, single-parent families, high levels of drug use and violence have led to pockets of poverty in every community, most notably in urban sections, and it is the school systems that suffer the most (2003). This is especially evident in New York City schools and in Los Angeles, San Diego, and San Francisco schools, where high populations of immigrant families keep some school districts from showing any appreciable improvement. Illiteracy is very much a problem in these areas, and the NCLB law is probably helping more than any other program. In the political arena, however, this type of improvement doesn't seem to be a priority, notably for California, and in the last five years, the same problems continue to exist. There is no doubt that economists have influence on public policy (Formaini, 2002), but in the realm of politics, this influence becomes one factor among many, including the National Education Association, a powerful professional group, scientific organizations such as the Center for Inquiry (2006), and religious organizations, which advocate private education. All of these factions rely on politics to bring about the changes they want. Education in the 21st Century It is hard to believe that in only a few years we will be moving into the second decade of this century. And next year, a new president will be elected. Is it possible to discuss public policy in education without taking politics into consideration at this time Major change has taken place in the world, and global issues have taken a top priority in American politics. One area of education that is having a strong influence on public policy is special education, which covers not just slow learners but the physically and mentally challenged as well as the children of immigrants who do not speak English. According to Yesseldyke and Algozzinem (2006), "There are no clear distinctions among the factors that influence special education. They work together to affect the ways in which special education is practiced" (p. 7). With global unrest, the United States is faced with a flow of immigrants into the country without adequate resources to help them gain the education they need to adjust to a new country. According to Peterson and West (2003), compensatory education and special education laws "have never provided more than a fraction of the real cost of educating those they professed to serve" (p. 1). With the passage of NCLB, in order to receive federal aid, every state must put into place a set of standards and a detailed testing plan (No Child, 2005). In this way, perhaps school districts will be forced into improving facilities and programs for special education students, with attention to how a student fits into the special education category (Yesseldyke and Algozzine, 2006). Conclusions For almost the entire history of the United States, the provision of elementary and secondary education has been a function of state and local governments (Manna, 2006). This obviously is no longer the case, with NCLB creating a standard that all states are expected to follow. Manna's analysis of National Election Studies data from 1960-2000 shows that the public is increasingly concerned about education, and the federal status of education as a political debate is inevitable in the presidential election coming up in 2008. There is no doubt that economists have a strong influence on public policy (Formaini, 2002), but in the realm of politics, this influence becomes one factor among many, for instance, the National Education Association, professional scientific organizations such as the Center for Inquiry (Center, 2006), and religious organizations that advocate private education. All are directly related to the political climate, which is becoming a major force in the success or failure of education policies. The political influences on public policy, however, will not necessarily offer the best solution to resolving the issues in education, although at this time they would appear to be the deciding factor in changing public policy. References Berliner, David. (2003). Education Psychology as a Policy Science. Canadian Journal of Educational Administration and Policy, Issue 26, 15 April, 2003. Retrieved March 22, 2007, from http://www.umanitoba.ca/publications/cjeap/articles/miscellaneousArticles/berliner.html Board of Regents. (2006). Education: A Plan for Action. University of the State of New York. Retrieved March 25, 2007, from http://usny.nysed.gov/summit/p-16ed.pdf California State Board of Education. (2007). State Board of Education. Retrieved March 23, 2007, from http://www.cde.ca.gov/be/ Carroll, S.J., Krop, C., Arkes, J., Morrison, P.A., and Flanagan, A. (2005). California's K-12 Public Schools: How Are They Doing RAND Education. Updated 29 January, 2007. Retrieved March 25, 2007, from http://www.rand.org/pubs/monographs/2004/RAND_MG186.sum.pdf Center for Inquiry. (2006). A New Iniative. Office of Public Policy, Washington, D.C. Retrieved March 23, 2007, from http://www.cfidc.org/opp/ Cross, C.T. (2004). Political Education: National Policy Comes of Age. New York: Teachers College Press. Formaini, R.L. (2002). Economic Theory and Public Policy: Do Economists Actually Matter Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas. 13 November, 2002. Retrieved March 24, 2007, from http://www.dallasfed.org/news/educate/2002/02faculty_formaini.pdf Manna, Paul. (2006). School's In: Federalism and the National Education Agenda (American Governance and Public Policy). Washington, D.C.: Georgetown University Press. Mills, R.P. (2007). About UsNY and the State Education Department. Last updated 22 March, 2007. Retrieved March 24, 2007, from http://www.nysed.gov/ No Child Left Behind Act: Fact Book 2005. Handbook of Education Information. California Department of Education. Retrieved March 24, 2007, from Peterson, P.E., and West, M.R., eds. (2003). No Child Left Behind The Politics and Practice of School Accountability. Washington, D.C.: Brookings Institution. Yesseldyke, R.A., and Algozzine, R.F. (2006). Public Policy, School Reform, and Special Education: A Practical Guide for Every Teacher. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press, 88 pp. Read More