EPPL 601 EDUCATIONAL POLICY:
DEVELOPMENT AND ANALYSIS
Week #2
Democratic Foundations for American Education
ECONOMIC BACKDROP

Public Policy is reactionary
Based in historical context
 Situated in broad social trends


Economic History and Eras
Adam Smith— “Invisible hand”
 Franklin Roosevelt— “New Deal”

•Ronald Regan— “Supply-side
economics/Reganomics”
ECONOMIC CONCLUSIONS



Economic systems are not stable
Economic changes are only somewhat
predictable
Economics intertwined with politics
BUSINESS CYCLES

Recovery
Peak
Trough

Economic Indicators
Recession
Depression/Recovery
Gross National Product
 Unemployment Rate
 Inflation Rate
 Misery Index—unemployment rate + inflation


Shift from industry to knowledge

Globalization
PEOPLE AND ECONOMY

Debt
Personal debt
 Federal deficit


Endemic inflation

Gap between rich and poor
DEMOGRAPHICS

Aging population

Immigration and Migration

Exodus from urban center—suburbs

Increasing Diversity

Changing Family Life
SOME DEMOGRAPHICS
EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT FOR OVER 18
BA OR HIGHER
40
35
30
25
20
2000
15
10
5
0
2005
PROJECTED CHANGE IN THE NUMBER OF
HIGH-SCHOOL GRADUATES
2007-8 TO 2017-18
Chronicle Almanac 2008
PROPORTION OF COLLEGE STUDENTS WHO ARE
MINORITY-GROUP MEMBERS—FALL 2005
Chronicle Almanac 2008
HISTORICAL EVOLUTION OF HIGHER
EDUCATION
 Harvard—first
university established in
1636—primarily to educate ministers
 Colonial Colleges—balanced duties to
both church and province
 Morrill Land-Grant Act of 1862—
established at least one college of ag &
mechanical arts in each state—utilitarian
education
 1876—Johns Hopkins offer graduate
education—the beginning of the research
university
10
HISTORICAL CONTEXT—CONT’D
 1920-1940–
increases in junior colleges
 1945-1975—GI Bill 1944, idea of mass
education. 1972 Higher Education Act
amendments formalized commitment to
student aid. Larger social issues.
 1975-2002—Shift from grants to loans for
students. Title IX. Increase in public
criticism of the economic relevance of
academic research and assessment of
student learning.
11
HISTORICAL ERAS OF PUBLIC EDUCATION
o Common School 1831-1900
oHorace Mann
o “Scientific” Sorting Machine
1900-1982
•Immigration
•WWI and WWII
•Depression
•Cold War/Space Race
•Civil Rights/Equity Issues
NEW PARADIGM 1983-2001

Reform Movements
Update Common School
 Professionalize Teaching
 Marketize Eduation



NCLB 2001
“Teeth”
 Actions
 Attacks


Globalization
THEORETICAL FRAMEWORKS

Competing Values
What culture values
 Changes over time


Lowi’s Policy Types
Distributive
 Regulatory
 Redistributive

THEORETICAL FRAMEWORKS –CONT’D

Institutional Choice






Bureaucracy
Legalization
Professionalization
Politics
Market
International Convergence
Curriculum
 Goals

Theoretical
Frameworks
Colonial Period
K-12-Young Republic
HEd-Colonial
Colleges
Industrialization
K-12 Common
School
HEd-Land Grants
Bureaucracy
Weak
Strong
Mass Education
K-12 Scientific
Sorting
HEd-Mass
Education
Strong
Legalization
Weak
Weak
Strong
Professionalization
Weak
Moderate
Moderate
Politics
Weak
Moderate
Weak
Strong on Institution
level
Shifting on National
Level
Strong/Shifting
FERPA/IDEA
Moderate/Weak
Changing
Demographics
Moderate
Market
Strong
Weak
Weak
Moderate
International
Convergence
Slight
Moderate
Strong
Conformity
Competition/HEd
Efficiency
Access
Weak
Freedom of Choice
Distributive
Individualism
Freedom
Strong
Slight
German Model for
Research/Normal
Schools
Building of a Nation
Fraternity
Weak
Regulatory
Weak
Strong
Strong
Strong
Redistributive
Weak
Weak
Strong
Moderate
Competing Values
ReformAccountability
K-12 NCLB
HEd-Spellings
Weak
Ala Fowler, 2009
LAYERS OF FEDERALISM

Distribution of powers
Central Government
 States



Shifts over time in the fore fronting of
nation/state roles
Support for Federalism
Check and balance on tyranny
 Acknowledges state differences and priorities
 States can try program out, if fail, not everywhere
 Multiple opportunities for public involvement

NATIONAL GOVERNMENT
Express Powers
 Implied Powers (necessary and proper clause)
 Inherent Powers


Constitutional ties
National Supremacy Clause
 War Power
 Regulate Commerce
 Power to Tax and Spend

STATE GOVERNMENT
Those powers not reserved to the national
government
 Not in conflict with national law


Education is in the domain of the states
How has this shifted over time?
 How has the national government sifted their
influence?

EXPANDING NATIONAL ROLES

Role of Federal Court



McCulloch v. Maryland (1819) reinforced national
domain—instituted idea of national supremacy (the
trump card)
Courts used to negotiate between national/state
rights
Federal Grants


Money=power for policies and programs
Ex. Block grants opposed by cities, loss of control
TECHNIQUES FOR FEDERAL CONTROL
Direct Orders
 Cross-cutting requirements (grants require
following federal dictates)
 Cross-over sanctions (highway money==drinking
age)
 Total Preemption
 Partial Preemption (national standards/states
creative in solutions)

THE FUTURE



Transfer of programming to states—costs
Turn toward federal government in times of fiscal
exigency, economics
Rise in national issues (environment, trade,
economy, etc.)