Policy Formulation for Education: The Johnson Administration

Abstract

T his paper views the formulation of national education policy from a systems perspective. A policy system is a process whereby inputs, i.e., demands and support, from organized interests, concerned individuals, and the mass public are converted into policy outputs and ultimately fed back in the form of new inputs. The conversion process, the making of national policy, is the basic activity of the policy system. The educational policy system considered here, included individuals located in the United States Office of Education (USOE), the Department of Health, Education and Welfare (HEW), the Executive Office of the President, the legislative and appropriations subcommittees in both houses of Congress having jurisdiction over USOE programs, education interest groups, other lobby groups with an interest in education, and persons in the education profession or the general public with access to the official policy-makers. I identified the members of the policy system through a procedure that used position, reputation and activity as criteria (Gergen, 1968). Initially, I compiled a list of potential members including all persons holding formal positions of authority, persons having a reputation among informed observers and other potential members as influential participants in the policy process, and individuals who appeared as contributors of inputs to the policy system through such vehicles as testifying before congressional committees or service on presidential task forces and other major advisory bodies. The list contained 175 persons.