EDUCATION

1
Chapter 6

• EDUCATION
• The Group Struggle
• By Joy Gentry

2
Multiple Goals in Educational
Policy

• More and better schooling is a widely recommended
  solution to the problems that confront American
  society.
• Nearly all the nations problems are reflected
  in demands placed on the nations schools.
• Educational policy affects a wide variety of
  interests and stimulates a great deal of interest
  group activity.

3
Broad Categories of Group
Interests

• Teachers
• Taxpayers
• School Board Members
• School Administrators
• Parents

4
School Enrollment

• Today about 50 million pupils attend grade school
  and high school in America -- about 44 million
  attend public schools and about 6 million attend
  private schools.
• About 15 million students are enrolled in
  institutions of higher education.

5
Battling Over the Basics

• The vital question is -- what should be taught in
  schools. Public sentiment is in favor of teaching
  the basic three Rs.
• Parents are less enthusiastic about emotional
  growth, getting along with others, self
  expression, self image, and cultural enrichment.

6
Test Scores

• Declining standardized test scores are blamed on
  schools failure to teach the basic skills.
• Professionals argued that it was really a
  function of how many students took the test.
  More students now are taking the tests. In the
  past only college-bound students took the test.

7
Recentering SAT Scores

• In 1996 the College Board decided to recenter
  the SAT scores in recognition of the fact that
  national averages were unlikely to ever recover
  to the 500 mark.
• Now it is possible to miss a few questions and
  still score a perfect 800. More than 500
  students a year now register a perfect 1600
  combined verbal and math scores.

8
Cross National Comparisons

• Educational performance is also measured by
  comparing scores of American students with
  students of other nations, usually in math and
  science.
• American students can at best be described as
  mediocre.
• In top performing countries, education has a
  higher cultural priority, and educational
  standards and testing are determined at the
  national level rather than by states and school
  districts.

9
A Nation at Risk

• The decline in SAT scores ended in the 80s.
• A back to basics citizens reform movement in
  education was influenced by the 1983 report by
  the National Commission on Excellence in
  Education entitled A Nation at Risk.

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The commissions recommendations set the agenda
for educational policy debate.

• Minimum high school curriculum 4 years-English
  3 years-math 3 years-social science and 1/2
  year-computer science.
• Four to six years foreign language.
• Standardized tests for all subjects.
• More homework, a seven-hour school day, and a
  200- to 220-day school.
• Performance-based salaries for teachers and
  rewards for superior teaching.

11
Educational Groups

• Interest group activity in education involves a
  wide array of racial, religious, labor, and civil
  rights organizations, as well as citizens and
  educational groups.
• Today school issues are so complex that the
  school superintendent and his administrative
  assistants exercise more and more control over
  the day to day operations of the school.

12
Who should govern our schools?Professional
educators or citizens?

• Three professional educators groups
• 1. Teachers
• 2. Administrators
• 3. Faculties of colleges and universities
• This last group interacts with state departments
  of education, diffuses educational innovations,
  and influences requirements for teacher
  certification.

13
Teachers Unions

• Most of the nations teachers are organized into
  either the National Education Association or the
  American Federation of Teachers.
• State and district chapters of both unions have
  achieved collective bargaining status in most
  states and large urban school districts.
• Both lobby Congress as well as the White House.

14
Voters and Taxpayers

• School politics at the community level differ
  from one community to another.
• Usually a small band of voters turn out for
  school elections.
• Interestingly, the larger the voter turnout in a
  school referendum, the more likely the defeat of
  educational proposals.

15
School Boards

• School board members are usually selected largely
  from concerned parents and local civic leaders.
• Evidence shows that people who are interested in
  education and have some knowledge of what the
  schools are doing tend to support education more
  than the less informed citizens.

16
Racial and Religious Groups

• Due to frequent involvement of racial and
  religious issues in education, there are several
  interest groups that become involved in
  educational policy.
• These well-established national organizations
  have long led battles in federal courts over
  segregation, prayer and Bible reading, and public
  financing of religious schools.

17
Federal Governments Role in
Education

• Traditionally, education in the U.S. was a
  community responsibility. Now, state governments
  have assumed major responsibility for public
  education.
• State and local taxpayers have always borne over
  90 of the cost of public education the federal
  share has never exceeded 10.
• Federal expenditures for higher education have
  never exceeded 15.

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Federal governments interest in education is a
long-standing one.

• Norwest Ordinance of 1787
• Morrill Land Grant Act of 1862
• Smith-Hughes Act of 1917
• 1946 National School Lunch and Milk Program
• Federal Impacted Areas Aid Program of 1950
• National Defense Education Act of 1958
• Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965
• Education Consolidation and Improvement Act of
  1981
• 1960s Head Start Program
• Federal Aid and Educational Quality

19
Educational Reform and Parental Choice

• Goals 2000 Educate America Act
• -every child must start school ready to learn
• -a 90 high school graduation rate
• - U.S. first in world math and science
• achievement
• -every American will become literate
• -drug-free and violent-free schools

20
Clinton Initiatives

• -support for national testing and additional
  federal funds for school construction
• -tax credits and deductions for college tuition
• Who will set national academic standards and how
  will state progress toward standards be measured?

21
What works?

• Parental Choice
• Charter Schools
• Magnet Schools
• Privatized Public Schools
• Educational Vouchers

22
Battles Over School Finances

• Educational spending varies enormously across the
  U.S.
• National per student expenditure is 5,500.
• In 1995 educational expenditures ranged from
  3,431 to 9,206.
• Inequalities among school districts.
• School inequalities as a constitutional issue.

23
Public Policy Higher Education

• Public higher education enrolls three-fourths of
  the nations college and university students.
• State governments carry the major burden of
  higher education in America through their support
  of state colleges and universities.
• Federal support for research, plus various
  student loan programs, are an important
  contribution to higher education.

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Religion in Education

• Free Exercise
• No Establishment
• Government Aid to Church-related Schools
• The Wall of Separation
• Avoiding Excessive Entanglement
• Prayer in Public Schools
  Religious groups, private school interests,
  and public school defenders frequently battle
  over the place of religion in education. The
  U.S. Supreme Court has become the referee in the
  group struggle over religion and education. The
  Court must interpret the meaning of the no
  establishment clause of the First Amendment of
  the Constitution as it affects government aid to
  church-related schools and prayer in public
  schools.

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Conclusions

• American education reflects all of the
  conflicting demands of society.
• Interest groups have inspired a back-to-basics
  movement in schools.
• Conflict between citizens and professional
  educators is reflected in arguments over
  professionalism versus responsiveness in
  public schools.
• Professional educational groups and teachers
  unions have long lobbied for increased federal
  funding of education.
• There is little direct evidence that increased
  funding of schools improves the educational
  performance of students.
• Current reforms in education center on choice
  plans. Choice would empower parents and end the
  monopoly of school administrators.
• The battle of the place of religion in education
  continues.