Political Policy Analysis in Urban Education

KEAN UNIVERSITY

Union, New Jersey

POLITICAL POLICY ANALYSIS IN URBAN EDUCATION

Course Number:EDD 6001

Semester Hours:Three

Prerequisites:Graduate Status

Limitation on

Enrollment:25

RequiredFor Ed.D. Candidates

Catalog Description:

Students study and analyze the dynamics of the political process in urban educational communities as it applies to the development of policy.

N.B. In order to insure full class participation, any student with a condition requiring special accommodations (e.g., tape recorder, special adaptive equipment, special note taking or test taking procedures) is strongly encouraged to contact the professor at the beginning of the course.

Spring 2006

Political Policy Analysis in Urban Education

(EDD 6001)

I.Course Objectives

Students will achieve growth towards becoming informed, dynamic, professionals through knowledge acquisition, skill application and value development, as evidenced by demonstration of the ability to:

A.develop and demonstrate the skills needed to work with a governing board on relevant knowledge and theories applicable educational leaders applied to urban educational communities. (1.1.1) (K, S. V)

B.develop a vision that takes into account the diversity of learners and is based onrelevant knowledge and theories applicable educational leaders applied tourbaneducational communities. (1.1.2 & 1.1.3) (K, S. V)

C.demonstrate knowledge of ways to use an urban educational community’s vision to mobilize additional resources to support the vision. (1.1.4) (K,S)

D.assess, research and plan for urban educational community’s conditions anddynamics. And capitalize on the diversity of the community to improve student performance and Achievement. (4.2.4) (K,S,V)

E.understand the complex causes of poverty and other disadvantages and theireffects on families, communities, children, and learning. (6.1.2) (K,S)

F.develop an understanding of how to work with political leaders at the local, state, and national level. (6.1.5) (K,S,V).

G.articulate and espouse positions in response to proposed policy changes that would benefit or harm urban educational communities and explain how proposedpolicies and laws might improve educational and local opportunities for specific communities. (6.1.7) (K,S,V)

H.develop an understanding of how to develop lines of communication with local,state, and federal authorities and actively advocate for improved policies, law and regulations, both directly and through organizations representing schools, educators or others with similar interests. (6.3.1) (K,S)

I.research and articulate policies and programs that promote equitable learningopportunities and success for all students, regardless of socioeconomic background, ethnicity, gender, disability, or other individual characteristics. (6.3.2) (K,S,V)

II.Course Content

A. Leadership in urban educational communities

1. School governance

2. School board relations

a. Set ground rules

b. Establish control mechanisms

c. Elite and arena boards

d. Relationships

i. Trustworthiness

ii. Personal level

iii. Interpersonal level

iv. Ethics

B. Develop the vision

1. Properties of a vision in a diverse community

2. The vision audit: organizational strengths and weaknesses

3. Engage stakeholders in the vision process

a. Constituencies and their needs

b. Strategic planning

i. Short-term goals

ii. Long-term goals

C. Support the vision

1. Resources

a. Physical capital

b. Human capital

c. Organizational capital

2. Implement the vision

3. The culture of resistance

a. Community values and school governance

b. Decentralization and school governance

c. Special interest groups

D. Student performance and achievement

1. The social construction of knowledge and the curriculum

a. Forms of knowledge

i. Technical

ii. Practical

iii. Directive

b. Culture and ideology

i. Hegemony

ii. Prejudice

iii. Cultural identity and academic excellence

2. Curriculum issues in urban educational communities

a. Data driven decision-making

i. Affirmative development of academic competence

ii. Unrecognized ability and under-developed potential

iii. High expectations/scarce opportunities

b. Dominant/subordinate curricula

c. The hidden curriculum

d. Planning for instruction in a diverse educational community

3. State, local and federal standards and assessments

a. No Child Left Behind

b. NJ Core Curriculum Content Standards

c. Abbott v Burke

d. Institutional barriers to achieving standards

4. The achievement gap studies

a. NAEP –National Assessment of Educational Progress

b. Council of the Big City Schools

c. The Education Trust

d. The Schott Foundation studies of the African American boy

E. Race, class, gender and disability

1. The concept of culture

2. Cultural pluralism

3. Poverty and the blight of racial isolation

4. Academic ability and the achievement gaps

5. Access to education capital

6. Family, community and academic environments

F. The political environment and its leaders

1. Define the political culture

a. Traditionalist

b. Moralistic

c. Individualistic

2. Theories of urban politics

a. Pluralism

b. Elite Theory

c. Regime Theory

3. Local government institutions

a. Mayoral control

b. State takeover

4. State and federal political institutions

G. Policy planning in educational communities

1. The policy-making process

2. Policy analysis

3. Policy implementation

a. Economic considerations

b. Cultural considerations in a diverse community

c. Ethical considerations

4. Policy evaluation

a. Quantitative

b. Qualitative

c. Holistic

5. Legal foundations of policymaking

6. Theories of educational policymaking

a. Critical theory

b. Feminist theory

c. Postmodernism

d. Ideological perspective

H. Local, state and federal relationships

1. Levels of policymaking: local, state and federal

2. Political factions

3. Political pressures

4. Groups and issues in school policymaking

a. Parents

b. Teachers

c. Students

d. Community groups

e. Minority representatives

f. State/federal agencies

5. Policy formulation and adoption

a. Process

b. Building relationships with local, federal, state groups

c. Active participation in local, state and federal professional

organizations that advocate for educationally underserved communities/children

6. Maintain and manage public confidence-Communicating with the public: local, state, federal

I. Strategies to promote equitable learning opportunities

1. Policy instruments to communicate values and vision

a. Mandates and compliance

b. Inducements

c. Capacity-building

d. System changing

2. Policy driven by data and research-The myth of poverty and low academic achievement

a. High academic standards/expectations

b. Highly qualified teachers

c. Assessments and accountability systems

d. Challenging curricula aligned with standards

e. Adequate funding and resources

f. Families/community involvement

III.Methods of Instruction

A. Lecture

B. Class discussions

C. Group presentations

D. Guest speakers

F. Field experiences/observations

G. Case studies analysis

H. Socratic dialectic

IV.Projects and Activities

1. Candidates will select a familiar organization and conduct a comprehensive analysis of that organization’s vision Statement. Describe how the Vision is related to the community’s values, demographics and how they are presented in its short and long-term initiatives. Recommend ways in which the organization can better develop, articulate and implement its values at all levels-executive, stakeholder, community, business.

2. Candidates will assess the impact of leadership style on an organization, its culture, and its development. Analyze the influence of followers on leadership behavior.

3. Candidates will develop a model that describes how the leadership assesses the critical needs of the community and its stakeholders. Recommend a comprehensive approach to ensure that the needs of all constituencies, both internal and external, are balanced without negatively affecting the organization’s fiscal and academic responsibilities.

V.Methods of Evaluation

A.Term Research Paper (K,S,V)

B. Mid-Term Examination (K,S)

C.Group Presentations (K,S,V)

D.Classroom Participation (K,S,V)

E. Graded Projects and Activities (K,S,V)

VI.Recommended Texts

Judd, Dennis P. and Kantor, Paul P. The Politics of Urban America, A Reader. White Plains, N.Y.: Longman, 2003.

Fowler, Frances C. Policy Studies for Educational Leaders. New

Jersey: Prentice Hall, 2004.

Henig, Jeffrey R. and Rich, Wilbur, C. (Eds.). Mayors in the Middle: Politics, Race and Mayoral Control of Urban Schools. New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 2004.

VII.Bibliography-(Current)

Aldridge, Jerry, Goldman, Reneltal Current Issues and Trends in Education. Needham, MA.: Allyn and Bacon, 2002.

All Students Reaching the Top: Strategies for Closing Academic Achievement Gaps. North- Central Regional Educational Laboratory. Retrieved from onDecember 2004.

Barnes, Carol A. Standards Reform in High Poverty Schools, managing Conflict and Building Capacity. New York: Teachers College Press, 2002.

Check, Joseph W. Politics, Language and Culture: A Critical Look at Urban School Reform, Westport, CT: Praeger Publishers, 2002.

Cibulka, James G., Boyd, Willian Lowe. A Race Against Time: The Crisis in Urban Schooling.Westport, CT: Praeger Publishers, 2003.

Eadie, Doug. Eight Keys to an Extraordinary Board-Superintendent Partnership. Lanham MD:Scarecrow Education, 2003.

Fowler, Frances. Policy Studies for Educational Leadership (2nd Ed). Englewood, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 2004.

Fuhram, Susan. Redesigning Accountability Systems for Education. New York:Teachers College Press, 2003.

Harvey, James. The Urban Superintendent, Creating Great Schools While Surviving in the Job, Report ofA Colloquium for FormerUrban Superintendents. Orlando, Florida: Councilof the Great City Schools, 2003.

Heck, Ronald. Studying Educational and Social Policy Making: Theoretical Concepts andResearch Methods. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Inc., 2004.

Jones, Bruce Anthony. Urban School Leadership in Siege, Conflict and Harmony. InformationAge Pub. Inc., 2005.

Kosmoski, George J. and Pollack, Dennis R. Managing Difficult, Frustrating and Hostile Conversations. (2nd Ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press, 2003.

Marshall, Catherine, Gostl-Pepin, Cynthia. Re-Framing Educational Politics for Social Justice. Needham, MA.: Allyn and Bacon, 2005.

McLaren, Peter. Life in Schools (4th Ed). New York: Pearson Education, Inc., 2003.

Owens, Robert G. Organizational Behavior in Education: Adaptive Leadership and

and School Reform (8th Ed.). Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon, 2004.

Portes, Pedro R. Dismantling Educational Inequality: A Cultural-historical Approach to ClosingThe Achievement Gap.New York: Peter Lang, 2005

Rigsby, Jeffrey A. and Greco, Guy. Mastering Strategy, Insights from the World’s GreatestLeaders and Thinkers. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2003.

Rury, John L. Urban Education in the United States: A Historical Reader. New York: PalgraveMacMillan, 2005.

Stein, Sandra J. The Culture of Educational Policy. New York: Teachers College Press,

2004.

VIII.Bibliography (Seminal)

Anyon, Jean. Ghetto Schooling, A Political Economy of Urban Educational Reform.

New York: Teachers College Press, 1997.

Coleman, J.S., Campbell, E.Q., Hobson, C.J., McPartland, J., Mood, A.M., Weinfeld, F.D., and York, R.L. Equality of Educational Opportunity. Washington, D.C:

U.S. Government Printing Office, 1960.

Covey, Stephen R. Principle-Centered Leadership. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1991.

Drucker, Peter F. Managing for the Future: the 1990’s and Beyond. New York: Truman TalleyBooks/Plume, 1992.

Evans, Robert. The Human Side of School Change, San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass

Publishers, 1996.

Flinchbaugh, Robert W. The 21st Century Board of Education: Planning, Leading, Transforming. Lancaster, Pa: Technomic Publishing Company, 1993.

Ford, Donna Y. Reversing Underachievement Among Gifted Black Students, Promising

Practices and Programs. New York: Teachers College Press, 1996.

Goetz, M.E., Massell, D. and Chun, T. “District Response to Accountability Systems,”

Paper presented to the Annual Meeting of the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management. New York: 1998.

Hesselbein, Frances, Cohen, Paul, M. Leader to Leader. New York: Jossey-Bass, 1999.

Jones, Bruce Anthony (Ed.). Educational Leadership: Policy Dimensions in the 21st Century. Stamford, CT: Abley Publishing Corporation, 2000.

Judge, David, Stoker, Gerry and Wolman, Harold (Eds.). Theories of Urban Politics. CA: Sage Publications, Inc., 1998.

Kretovics, Joseph and Nussel, Edward J. Transforming Urban Education: Problems

and Possibilities for Equality of Educational Opportunity. Needham, MA:

Allyn and Bacon, 1994..

Lambert, Linda. Building Leadership Capacity in Schools. Alexandra, VA: ASCD, 1998.

Lutz, Frank W. and Merz, Carol. The Politics of School/Community Relations. New York: TeachersCollege Press, 1992.

Nanus, Burt. Visionary Leadership. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, Inc., 1992.

Stone, Clarence N. Changing Urban Education. Lawrence, Kansas: University Press of

Kansas, 1998.

Watras, Joseph. Politics, Race and Schools: Racial Integration 1954-1994 (Studies in

Educational Politics). New York: Garland Publishing, 1997.

IX.Journals and Print Materials

American School Boards Journal

Educational Leadership

Education Today

Educational Researcher

Examiner

Harvard Business Review

Harvard Educational Review

Journal of Curriculum and Supervision

Journal of Research and Development in Education

Kappa Delta Pi Forum

Phi Delta Kappan

Review of Educational Research

Teaching Education

Theory Into Practice

Teachers College Record

X.Websites

1. for Supervision and Curriculum Development Newsbrief

2 Templeton NationalReport on Acce;eratopm

3. Report of the National StudyAffirmative Ability

4. Association of School Administrators

5. S. Department of Education

6. Research Service

7. School Boards Association

8. Jersey School Administrators Association

9. Week

10. Jersey Association forSupervisionAnd Curriculum Development

11. New Jersey Principals and Supervisors Association SupervisorsAssociation

12. Association of Elementary School Principals

13. Council of the Great City Schools

14. Institute

15. Council of La Raza

16. Association for the Advancement Advancement Of Colored People

17. Council of Chief State School Officers

18. Foundation

19. Teacher Association

20. for Exceptional Children

21.

21. Urban League

22. for Basic Education

XI.Non-Print Sources

Theory Into Practice (M. Hunter)M2-321

Dealing with Discipline ProblemsM2-697

Creating A Way of LearningK-71

Stand and Deliver (DVD)

XII. Court Cases

Brown v Board of Education, 347 U.S. 483 (1954).

Robinson v Cahill, 303 A.2d 273 (N.J. 1973); A.2d 129 (N.J. 1976).

Abbott v Burke, 477 A. 2d 1278 (1984); 495 A. 2d 376 (1985); 575A. 2d 359 (N.J. 1990); 643 A.2d 575 (N.J. 1994).