EDUC 217 Education Policy in Urban Schools

National reform efforts (e.g. Nation at Risk, No Child Left Behind, Race to the Top) have permeated the educational establishment for decades, yet the achievement gap between rich and poor and white and non-white students has shown no appreciable progress. This course will analyze current and past policies in education intended to improve the educational experience of all students and address this achievement gap. Students will receive an understanding of policy formation, the effect of applied research relative to educational policy, and then select a reform policy (e.g. value-added teacher pay, class size, charter schools, etc.) to further investigate as a project field assignment.