Education Policy
Public Policy 891
Michigan State University
Spring 2013
Monday, 3:00 to 5:50 pm
135 South Kedzie Hall
Sarah Reckhow, Assistant Professor
Department of Political Science, Michigan State University
Office: 328 South Kedzie; Phone: 517-432-0028; Email: reckhow@msu.edu
Office Hours: Monday 1 to 3 pm, or by appointment
Overview: This course is a weekly seminar to introduce you to the politics and processes
that shape education policy. The perspective of this course is overtly political,
highlighting who is involved and influential in education policy and how institutions
affect policy-making and implementation. We will begin with an overview of the origins
and structure of systems of public education in the U.S. Then we will consider several
approaches to reform of education systems, focusing on the definition of the problem,
theories of change, implementation strategies, outcomes, challenges, and critiques. A
central focus of the course will be urban school districts, and we will analyze and
evaluate how prevailing approaches to reform, as well as state and federal interventions,
shape policies and outcomes in urban districts.
Course Requirements:
Reading: Every student must come prepared to discuss all of the required readings in
class.
Participation: This is a seminar course, so there will be no formal lectures. Each student
is expected to participate in class discussions, offering questions and reactions to the
weekly readings.
Weekly Blogging and Commenting: I will distribute a list of reading discussion questions
for each week. Every student must post the following on the class discussion board on the
class website before the start of class for the week:
1) A short “blog style” response to one of the reading questions
2) A substantive comment to a blog answer posted by another student
Leading Discussion: Each student will sign up to lead the class discussion of the
readings for one week. The discussion leader will prepare a brief PowerPoint based on
the readings and any supplementary materials he/she chooses. The discussion leader is
also free to organize a class debate, small group discussions, or other in-class activities.
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Final Project: Each student will choose one of the following paper topics for his/her final
project:
1) Policy Analysis
2) Action Project
3) Research Project
Grading: Your grade will be based on the following:
Class participation: 15%
Blogging and Comments: 15%
Leading Discussion: 15%
Final Project Milestones: 15%
(topic statement, bibliography, outline, rough draft)
Final Project: 30%
Final Presentation: 10%
Late assignments--20% off grade for each day after due date
Course Texts: The article readings will be posted on the course website. There are 2
required books that you must purchase for the course:

Paul Tough. 2008. Whatever it Takes: Geoffrey Canada’s Quest to Change
Harlem and America.

Jack Schneider. 2011. Excellence for All: How a New Breed of Reformers is
Transforming America’s Public Schools.
Schedule:
Week 1—January 7
Introduction and Course Overview
Week 2—January 14
Education in the U.S. –where are we and how did we get here?
Kober, Nancy. 2006. “A Public Education Primer: Basic (and Sometimes Surprising)
Facts About the U.S. Education System.” Center on Education Policy.
Bushaw, William J. and Shane J. Lopez. 2012. “Public Education in the United States: A
Nation Divided.” The 44th annual PDK/Gallup Poll of the Public’s Attitudes Toward the
Public Schools.
The Koret Task Force on K-12 Education. 2003. “Are We Still at Risk?” Education Next.
Responses:
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

Hunt, James B. 2003. “Unrecognized Progress.” Education Next.
Graham, Patricia Albjerg. 2003. “The Long Haul.” Education Next.
Week 3—January 21
MLK Holiday- No Class
Defining the Problem and Approaches to Reform
Week 4—January 28 (Final Project- Topic Statement Due)
Resources and School Effects
Hanushek, Eric. 2003. “The Failure of Input Based Schooling Policies.” The Economic
Journal.
Gamoran, Adam and Daniel Long. 2006. “Equality of Educational Opportunity: A 40year Retrospective.” Wisconsin Center for Education Research.
Fuller, Bruce, et al. 2009. “Building Schools, Rethinking Quality?: Early Lessons from
Los Angeles.” Journal of Educational Administration.
Week 5—February 4
Standards, Accountability, and the Evolving Federal Agenda
Rotherham, Andrew. 2002. “A New Partnership.” Education Next.
Rothstein, Richard and Rebecca Jacobsen. 2006. “The Goals of Education.” The Phi
Delta Kappan.
Booher-Jennings, Jennifer. 2005. “Below the Bubble: ‘Educational Triage and the Texas
Accountability System.” American Educational Research Journal. 42(2).
McGuinn, Patrick. 2011. “Stimulating Education Reform: Race to the Top, Competitive
Grants and the Obama Education Agenda.” Educational Policy.
Week 6—February 11 (Final Project Annotated Bibliography Due)
State Intervention
Guest Speaker: Mary Mason
Reading TBA
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Week 7—February 18
Poverty and Community
“A Broader, Bolder Approach to Education.” Full Statement.
James Traub, “What No School Can Do,” New York Times Magazine, January 16 2000.
Mark R. Warren. 2005. “Communities and Schools: A New View of Urban Education
Reform.” Harvard Educational Review. 75(2).
Paul Tough. Whatever It Takes. Chapters 1, 2, and 3.
Week 8—February 25
Promise Neighborhoods
Paul Tough. Whatever It Takes. Chapters 4-11.
“The Harlem Children’s Zone, Promise Neighborhoods, and the Broader, Bolder
Approach to Education.” 2010. Grover Whitehurst and Michelle Croft. Brookings
Institution.
Geoffrey Canada’s Response.
SPRING BREAK
Week 9—March 11
Racial Inequality and Desegregation
“Is Desegregation Dead?” Education Next. Eaton and Rivkin.
“Brown Fades: The End of Court Ordered School Desegregation and the Resegregation
of American Public Schools.” 2012. Reardon, Sean F., et al. Journal of Policy Analysis
and Management.
“An Unfinished Journey: The Legacy of Brown and the Narrowing of the Achievement
Gap.” 2004. The Phi Delta Kappan. Ronald Ferguson and Jal Mehta.
“From all walks of life: New hope for school integration.” 2012-13. American Educator.
Richard D. Kahlenberg.
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Week 10—March 18 (Final Project Paper Outline Due)
Education Bureaucracy and Unions
Goldstein, Dana. 2009. “The Education Wars.” American Prospect.
Meier, Kenneth J., J. L. Polinard, and Robert D. Wrinkle. 2000. “Bureaucracy and
Organizational Performance: Causality Argument about Public Schools.” American
Journal of Political Science.
Moe, Terry. 2009. “Collective Bargaining and the Performance of the Public Schools.”
American Journal of Political Science.
Week 11—March 25
Markets and Charter Schools
Lake, Robin and Alex Hernandez. 2011. “Eliminating the Achievement Gap: A White
Paper on How Charter Schools Can Help District Leaders.” Portfolio School Districts
Project. Center on Reinventing Public Education.
Bifulco, Robert and Helen F. Ladd. 2006. “School Choice, Racial Segregation, and Test
Score Gaps: Evidence from North Carolina’s Charter School Program.” Journal of Policy
Analysis and Management. 26(1): 31-56.
Hoxby, Caroline M. et al. 2009. “How New York City’s Charter Schools Affect
Achievement, August 2009 Report. New York City Charter Schools Evaluation Project.
Cambridge, MA.
Mathews, Jay. 2007. “Looking at KIPP, Coolly and Carefully.” Washington Post.
The Politics of Reform in Urban School Districts
Week 12—April 1
Reform Approaches and Urban Districts
Jack Schneider. 2011. Excellence for All: How a New Breed of Reformers is
Transforming America’s Public Schools.
April 5: Final Project Rough Draft Due
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Week 13—April 8
New York City
Reckhow, Sarah. 2013. “A Shadow Bureaucracy: Foundation Dollars and New York City
School Reform” (chapter 4). Follow the Money: How Foundation Dollars Change Public
School Politics.
Bloom, Howard, Saskia Levy Thompson, and Rebecca Unterman. 2010. “Transforming
the High School Experience: How New York City’s Small Schools are Boosting Student
Achievement and Graduation Rates.” MDRC.
Hemphill, Clara, et al. 2010. “Managing by the Numbers: Empowerment and
Accountability in New York City’s Schools.” Center for New York City Affairs.
Hill, Paul 2010. “Leadership and Governance in New York City School Reform.” (draft
chapter). Education Reform in New York City: Ambitious Change in the Nation’s Most
Complex School System.
Week 14—April 15
Los Angeles
Reckhow, Sarah. 2013. “Deliberative Decentralization: Foundation Dollars and Los
Angeles School Reform” (chapter 5). Follow the Money: How Foundation Dollars
Change Public School Politics.
Fuller, Bruce. 2010. “Palace Revolt in Los Angeles?” Education Next.
Herman, Joan L., et al. 2012. “Evaluation of Green Dot’s Locke Transformation Project;
Findings for Cohort 1 and 2 Students.” National Center for Research on Evaluation,
Standards, and Student Testing. UCLA.
Week 15—April 22
Student Presentations
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Final Project
Each student will choose one of the following paper topics for his/her final project:
1) Policy Analysis
2) Action Project
3) Research Project
You will write a ~15 page paper (double-spaced, Times New Roman). Each paper will
require independent research beyond the materials covered in class. You should consult
refereed journal articles, policy briefs, experts (interview people in person or via email),
newspaper articles, etc. We will discuss research strategies and sources in class.
1) Policy Analysis:
Define a policy problem in K-12 education, consider a range of potential alternatives to
address the problem, and make a clear argument for why one alternative should be
preferred. Be sure to explain the theory of action for your preferred proposal, critiques of
that theory of action, and a rebuttal for why your proposal is still preferred. Consider
potential financial costs and political feasibility of your proposal. Try to imagine that you
are writing for an audience of policy makers within a school district, state government, or
the federal government. Your goal should be to change policy—write in a way that will
be persuasive, using solid empirical evidence to back up your claims.
2) Action Project:
Policy entrepreneurs are working to change schools systems from many directions,
including founding schools and nonprofits, or working to advise these organizations.
Write a strategic memo on the challenges and opportunities for expanding or replicating a
school reform model or education nonprofit that you find particularly appealing. Consider
existing research on the outcomes of the model you choose. Evaluate how positive
outcomes could be maintained and how negative outcomes could be avoided. Assess the
resources, leadership, and partnerships that might be necessary for expansion or
replication of the model. Discuss anticipated challenges to expansion and how these
could be overcome. Be as concrete as possible—discuss the specific model in detail, the
context (the city, school district, etc. where expansion might occur), sources of funding,
etc.
3) Research Project:
This option is open to students who want a chance to do original research. If you choose
this option, you may work individually, or in a group of up to 3 students. You will
conduct research using quantitative, qualitative, or historical methods. You could study
how the state of Michigan is intervening in Detroit Public Schools and trace the history of
state involvement in Detroit. You could compare the success of particular charter school
operators. You could interview state legislators about their vision for education reform in
Michigan. You could investigate the factors that predict school success across different
states. The goal is to produce a high quality piece of research—you may use this as an
opportunity to work towards your MPP capstone. Final research projects should: define
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the question of interest; review other work on the question; choose a method and a source
of data; provide an initial analysis on the basis of that data; and outline the further steps
that would be needed to make the study publishable. Research papers may be longer than
the approximate 15 pages required for the other options.
Plagiarism of any kind will NOT be tolerated:
“At MSU, General Student Regulation 1.00 states in part that “no student shall claim or submit the academic
work of another as one’s own.”
Plagiarism may be accidental or blatant and there is even self-plagiarism. However, students are held to the same
standards whether or not they knew they were plagiarizing or whether or not they were plagiarizing themselves or
someone else.”
See: https://www.msu.edu/unit/ombud/academic-integrity/plagiarism-policy.html
Project Completion Milestones:
January 28: Topic Statement- Written topic statement by the start of class (short
paragraph)
February 11: Annotated Bibliography- List of at least 10 sources with full citations and
paragraph summary of each source
March 18: Paper Outline- 2 to 3 pages long. Include research questions, key arguments
and sources, structure of paper.
April 5 (Note: this is a Friday, not a regular class day): Rough Draft of Paper- I will
provide written comments on all rough drafts.
Class Presentation
During our final class session, every student will present his or her final project to the
class. You should prepare a PowerPoint for your presentation. Your classmates will have
the opportunity to ask questions and comment on your findings.
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