Pup 4404 - the Politics of Education

PUP 4404 - THE POLITICS OF EDUCATION

Spring, 2014

Professor Richard K. Scher

204 Anderson Hall

352-273-2356

Office Hours: Tu/Th 11:30-1:00

and by appointment

COURSE SYLLABUS

PURPOSE: To explore the social/political context of American education, and the forces which shape educational practices at elementary, secondary, and higher levels. The course will also explore efforts to reform K-12 and higher education; the thesis of this investigation is that “reform” has more to do with advancing a political agenda than fostering student learning.

Classes – students are expected to attend class regularly, and come prepared to participate actively in our community of scholars. Students are expected to read the required materials in advance of class, and come prepared to use them as a vehicle for discussion. Attendance will NOT be taken, but students are responsible for everything that happens in class whether present or not. Likewise they are responsible for ALL of the information on the syllabus. In particular, students must pay careful attention to due dates for written assignments – in this class, NO LATE PAPERS will be accepted under any circumstances except for excused absences as listed by UF. Early submission of written work is always acceptable and welcome. Students should take advantage of the instructor's office hours to discuss issues with him.

Absences from Class -

·  The instructor firmly believes that students have a right to make choices about how they spend their time, including coming to class. He is not a policeman, he does not take roll, he comes to class every day to provide, as best he can, observations and insights into the Politics of Education, and to discuss with and among students why the topics of this course are valuable to them.

·  Those who feel that this is a worthwhile use of their time are invited to attend regularly, and to become full participants and partners in the intellectual journey the class offers.

·  But the instructor is well aware that students have competing demands on their time. They need to decide whether or not those competing demands are more valuable to them than coming to class, or if some seeming obligation outside of class obviates or takes precedence over the need to attend. The decision is the students’ alone, and entirely.

·  Thus, it is not necessary to ask the instructor’s permission to miss class, because he cannot give it. It is not necessary to inform the instructor about an absence, because that is the student’s business, not his.

·  Nor is it good student practice to ask, in the event of an absence, if he/she missed anything “important.” The instructor designs each class with the idea that the topic of the day is important; otherwise, why bother?

·  And what students need always to remember is that their choice of how they will use their time has consequences. The instructor urges students to think them through before deciding to miss class.

Examinations – there is no midterm exam in this course. There is a cumulative and comprehensive take-home final examination of the essay variety, based on readings, class materials, films, etc. It will be handed out on the last day of class, Tuesday, April 22 and e-mailed to students via the list serve later in the day. It will be due the following Tuesday, April 29, at noon in the instructor’s office. (“Noon” is defined by the official U.S. Government time service, http://www.time.gov/timezone.cgi?Eastern/d/-5/java .) NO LATE PAPERS WILL BE ACCEPTED WITHOUT the prior approval of the instructor, subject to the stipulation below.

Make-up Policy – students with UF approved excused absences will be permitted to make up missed assignments or turn in assignments/examinations late as long as appropriate documentation is presented, without penalty. Assignments or examinations missed or turned in late that do not meet UF approved reasons, or which are not accompanied by publicly verifiable documentation, will receive a grade of ZERO. No exceptions.

Required Readings – there are two kinds of required readings in this course: three books and a large number of articles, most of which are online. The latter will be sent to students via the class list serve. It is essential that students read the required materials in a timely fashion, as some written assignments are based on them and they are crucial for class presentations and discussion. Specific due dates for readings will be announced in class, occasionally over the list serve as well.

Required Books:

·  Jonathan Kozol, THE FIRE IN THE ASHES

·  Diane Ravitch, REIGN OF ERROR

·  Gaye Tuchman, WANNABE U

-or-

·  Jennifer Washburn, UNIVERSITY, INC.

Recommended Books:

·  Jonathan Kozol, SAVAGE INEQUALITIES

·  Jonathan Kozol, AMAZING GRACE

·  Jonathan Kozol, THE SHAME OF THE NATION

·  Alex Kotlowitz, THERE ARE NO CHILDREN HERE

·  John Dewey, THE SCHOOL AND SOCIETY

·  Christopher A. Lubienski and Sarah T. Lubienski, THE PUBLIC SCHOOL ADVANTAGE

·  Michael Fabricant and Michelle Fine, THE CHANGING POLITICS OF EDUCATION

·  Derek Bok, UNIVERSITIES IN THE MARKETPLACE

·  Frank Donoghue, THE LAST PROFESSORS

·  Andrew Delbanco, COLLEGE: WHAT IT WAS, IS, AND SHOULD BE

·  Jane Smiley, MOO

Topics Covered –

K-12

·  Schools, Equality, and American Society

·  The Social Burden of American Public Schools

o  Race and Poverty

§  Reading - Kozol

·  Schools as Public Goods

o  Private schools

·  Schools as Political Targets

o  Civic Education

o  Curriculum – What is to be taught?

o  Reform as Political Agenda

§  Historical and origin of schools

§  WWI and Progressivism

§  The Cold War and Sputnik

§  Schools and the Discovery of Poverty – the Great Society

§  The Right Wing Backlash – Accountability, Charter Schools and Privatization

§  Standardized Testing – what does it do?

§  Demonizing and Firing Teachers

§  The Common Core

·  Reading - Ravitch

·  Improving Schools

o  Schools as One-Stop, Full Service Centers

o  Eliminate poverty – Why Not?

HIGHER EDUCATION

·  What for?

o  What is/are the purpose(s) of higher education?

o  What is the “college experience??

o  Why do students have to jump thru so many hoops to get a degree?

o  Preparing for what? College and the after-college life

·  The Corporatization of Higher education

o  Reading – Tuchman or Washburn

·  Digital higher education – is the University of Phoenix the model of the future?

o  Is there a point to going to campus, or can you get a college education sitting in your bathrobe at home?

o  What are the consequences for colleges and universities of increasing digitalization of instruction?

o  What do we know about online, digitized higher education and the institutions that provide it?

·  Big Time Universities, Big Time Athletics: Which is the dog, and which is the tail?

REQUIREMENTS: All students must complete the following assignments [NOTE: ALL ASSIGNMENTS MUST BE SUBMITTED IN HARD COPY. ELECTRONIC SUBMISSIONS AND ATTACHMENTS CAN NOT BE ACCEPTED, NOR WILL CREDIT BE GIVEN FOR ANYTHING OTHER THAN HARD COPIES]:

Politics of Education Action Projects – each student must complete an action project in the politics of education.

Action projects are designed to illuminate the political messages which the electronic media or schools direct at children and to assess the potential impact of those messages on children (and their families). There are several possible ways to complete this assignment:

·  Through a semester-long analysis of the political messages in television programs and/or films directed at children or middle/high schoolers. This assignment will require watching/tracking on a regular basis a minimum of 3 shows during the semester, or a minimum of 3 movies whose primary target are kids/young people.

·  By spending 3 or more hours a week during the semester as a volunteer in a local school assisting in whatever way the school wants/needs, and by acting as a participant/observer of the political forces in play in the school which are directed at and impact children and their families.

There is another possibility for this assignment, one focused on higher education:

·  Students may examine issues of democratic/authoritarian behavior in university settings. They can do this by a systematic evaluation of teacher/student interaction in a minimum of THREE courses during the semester, or two courses and administrative/faculty/student interaction outside of class. Fictitious names of courses, teachers, students, and administrators should be used to protect the guilty.

Students can satisfy the action project requirement by completing either of these THREE options and preparing a 3-5 page (printed, double spaced) analysis of their investigations or experience.

Due Date for the Action Project: April 8, 2014, at the end of class; no late reports will be accepted without prior approval of the instructor.

Individual project:

All students must complete a brief (3-5 pages, printed, double spaced) writing project. There are two ways to do this:

o  The first is to allow students to investigate various issues in contemporary education (topics need not be limited to the American experience, or those covered in class). They can be based on the required readings or outside readings. They can investigate a topic through library and/or Internet research, fieldwork, or something else. Students have wide latitude to pursue their interests, but they need to discuss their projects with the instructor early in the course, and on a regular basis throughout the term.

o  NOTE: Under some circumstances, a video or some other method of presentation, can be substituted for a written project, but only with the instructor’s specific approval. PowerPoint presentations are NOT allowed.

·  A second approach to the individual project is a critical reaction paper to one of the recommended books in the class (see above);

o  If a student wishes to read and comment on another book, he or she must consult with the instructor to receive permission;

Due Date for the Individual Project: April 1, 2014, at the end of class; no late reports will be accepted without prior approval of the instructor.

Group project, “Choosing the Next UF President:”

Each student must participate in a group (self selection is fine, no more than 5 members), the goal of which is to choose the next UF President (in fact, that will happen this year, as President Bernie has promised/threatened to step down sometime in 2014).

During the term, each group will conduct an international search for the right person to lead UF. Recognizing that Governor Scott will ultimately make the choice, there is no reason why students in this class should not raise their voice and have an input. The group project should be designed as a recommendation to the Governor.

Groups will meet during the term to do the following:

·  Develop criteria for the kind of President they want;

·  Develop a way to attract the kind of candidates they want, and provide a job description that will make the job attractive to quality individuals;

·  Create a list of names representing the sort of persons each group would like to see as President of UF;

·  Indicate how you would contact these individuals, and encourage them to apply;

·  Create a short list from the larger one you have created, indicating who will be invited to interview for the position;

o  You must specify the criteria through which you made the short list; in other words, who made the cut and who didn’t, and why?

o  Prioritize your short list (this will require checking out those on the list, and indicating why some are ranked higher than others);

·  Indicate how your list speaks to such important issues as:

o  Diversity

o  Ability to create campus-wide consensus

o  Vision for the future of UF – will it become a digital university or remain something close to what we already now have?

o  Resources – how will the candidates pursue the resources needed to operate a first-class university at a time of decreasing support for higher education?

o  Alumni – are UF alumni merely cash machines, or can the vast Gator Nation offer other benefits and support to UF; if so, how and what, and how would the new President mobilize this potential resource?

o  Academic programs – will some be emphasized at the expense of others? How, and why?

§  What is the appropriate balance between undergraduate and graduate/professional programs?

o  Faculty and students – how will he/she work to attract and retain the best of both?

§  There is a serious morale problem on this campus for both faculty and students:

·  The former, because of administrative indifference, even hostility;

·  The latter, because the campus is so huge, students get lost, feel unwelcome, put off by an indifferent and insensitive atmosphere (especially, but not only, for foreign and minority students);

o  Athletics – what is the proper role for intercollegiate athletics at UF (is it to be the tail, the tail the wags the dog, or the dog?); how to prevent another Penn State?

o  Other – groups are free to develop other criteria they think are important in searching for, interviewing, and choosing the next UF President.

The final short list and accompanying report (printed, double spaced, length to be determined by group) is due April 22, 2014. No late papers will be accepted under any circumstances.

CRITERIA FOR GRADE:

· Individual Action Project – 20 pts.

· Individual Project – 20 pts.

·  Choose the President group project – 30 pts.

· Final Exam – 30 pts.

GRADING SCALE:

§  A – 90-100

§  B – 80-89

§  C – 70-79

§  D – 60-69

§  E - <60

NOTE: Plus (+) and minus (-) grades are awarded at the margins between whole grades (for example, 78 or 79 is a C+, 77 is a C; 80 or 81 is a B-, 82 is a B).

NOTE: help is available on campus for students having trouble coping, for whatever reason. Please see the instructor for suggestions and referrals – he will not pry into your affairs, but will try to guide students needing assistance to the right place.

NOTE: students with disabilities or other recognized/protected conditions should register with the appropriate office on campus, and arrange with the instructor for possible changes in scheduling.

NOTE: Because of budget constraints, there is no hard-copy version of this syllabus. Nor is it posted on any website. There is only the e-version. Please download it or preserve it in some way so you will have ready access to it.