EDAD 6213
Education Law and Policy
Instructor: Dr. Mark Littleton Phone:
254.968.9804
Howell
Education Bldg., Room #404 Email:
mlittleton@tarleton.edu
Tarleton State
University
Description:
Examination of legal principles and laws affecting the administration and
management of educational organizations with emphasis upon system level
concerns; analysis of current legal issues; interrelationship between law and
the policy-making process. Prerequisite: Doctoral status.
Required Reading
Fowler, F. C.
(2004). Policy studies for educational
leaders: An introduction. (2nd ed.) Columbus, OH: Merrill.
Yudof, M. G.,
Kirp, D. L., Levin, B., & Moran, R. F. (2002). Education law and policy (4th ed.). Belmont, CA: Thomson
Learning.
In addition to
the texts above, the following articles/monographs are helpful.
Boyd, W. L.
(1988). Policy analysis, educational policy, and management: Through a glass
darkly? In Boyan, N.J. (Ed.) Handbook of
Research on Educational Administration. New York: Longman. Pp. 501-523.
Burlingame, M.
(1988). The politics of education and educational policy: The local level. In
Boyan, N.J. (Ed.) Handbook of Research on
Educational Administration. New York: Longman. Pp. 439-452.
Cibulka, J.G.
(1997). Two eras of urban schooling: The decline of the old order and the
emergence of new organizational forms. Education and Urban Society, 29,
317-341.
Desai, U.,
Holden, M. Shelley, M. (1998). The politics of policy: Prospects and realities.
Policy Studies Journal, 26, 423-433.
Kirst, M. W.
(2000). Bridging education research and education policymaking. Oxford Review of Education, 26, 379-392.
Mayer, D. P.
(1999). Measuring instructional practice: Can policymakers trust survey data? Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis,
21, 29-45.
McGivney, J.
H. (1984). State educational governance patterns. Educational Administration Quarterly, 20, (2), 43-63.
Mitchell, D. E.
(1988). Educational politics and policy: The state level. In Boyan, N.J. (Ed.)
Handbook of Research on Educational Administration. New York: Longman. Pp.
453-466.
National
Commission on Excellence in Education. (1983). A nation at risk: The imperative
for educational reform. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education. This
document can be obtained at http://www.ed.gov/pubs/NatAtRisk/index.html
Odden. A.R.
(Ed.). (1991). Educational Policy Implementation. Albany, NY: State University
of New York Press.
Redfield, S.
(2002). The convergence of education and
law: A new class of educators and lawyers. Paper presented at the 48th
Annual Conference of the Education Law Association, New Orleans, LA. This paper
will be provided by the instructor.
Spillane, J.
P. (1998). State policy and the non-monolithic nature of the local school
district: Organizational and professional considerations. American Educational Research Journal, 35, 33-63.
Other Helpful Texts (Not required)
Birkland, Thomas A. An introduction to the
policy process: Theories, concepts, and models of public policy making
JK468 .P64 B58 2001
Cizek, G. J.
(Ed.). (1999). Handbook of educational policy.
San Diego: Academic Press.
Cooper, B.,
Fusarelli, L., & Randall, E.V. (2004). Better policies, better schools:
Theories and applications. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
Delaney, J. G.
(2002). Educational policy studies: A
practical approach. Calgary, Alberta: Detselig Enterprises.
Dye, Thomas R. Understanding public policy
10th ed. JK468 .P64 D95 2002
First, P. F.
(1992). Educational policy for school
administrators. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
Glickman, C.
(2004). Letters to the next president: What we can do about the real crisis in
public education. New York: Teachers College Press.
Lieberman, A.,
& McLaughlin, M. W. (Eds.). (1982). Policy
making in education: Eighty-first yearbook of the National Society for the
Study of Education. Chicago:
University of Chicago Press.
Sergiovanni, Thomas J. Educational
governance and administration 5th ed. LB2805 .E346 2003
Weimer, David Leo. Policy analysis :
Concepts and practice 3rd ed. H97 .W45 1999
Course
Objectives
·
Analyze the governmental and special interest influence on educational
policy.
·
Analyze the policy development processes (and the
relationship to administration) at the national, state, & local levels.
·
Analyze the legal and ethical reasoning in educational
policy development (among others topics include desegregation, curriculum
development, church-state relations).
·
Dissect the policy making process at the state level.
·
Program Objective-Articulate and utilize the relationships
among federal, state and local education agencies, laws and policies to close
the gaps in educational outcomes.
·
Program Objective-Utilize appropriate management function in
administering special programs for special populations.
APA Format
All written assignments must conform to the guidelines
established in the Publication manual of
the American Psychological Association, 5th Edition.
Exams
There will be
one, essay-type examination.
Term
Paper
There will be
one term paper in the format of a historical, descriptive policy analysis. The
paper will describe the evolution (or analyze the evolution) of a current
educational policy identified at the state or national level. The paper should
include a process analysis, as appropriate.
Class
Participation
Class
attendance and class participation are essential. Assignments must be read
prior to the assigned date with the anticipation that critical analysis and
discussion will occur during class.
Grades will be
determined based upon participation in class discussions and performance on
course requirements.