Federal Education Policy Research Articles

The Model School System: Federal Education Policy and the Racial Politics of Schooling in the District of Columbia, 1961–1977

The Model School System: Federal Education Policy and the Racial Politics of Schooling in the District of Columbia, 1961–1977

Dreaming beyond education policy: a BlackCrit analysis of ESEA and ESSA

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to analyze the first major federal education policy, the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, and the most recent federal policy, the Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015, through a Black critical theory (BlackCrit) lens to understand better how these educational policies have served as antiblack projects. Furthermore, this study locates examples of educational Freedom Dreams in the past and present to imagine new possibilities in Black education.Design/methodology/approachBy analyzing education policy documents and history through BlackCrit methods, the authors expose how education policy is inherently an antiblack project. Freedom Dreams catalyze possibilities for future education.FindingsThe data confirms that while these policies purport equity and accountability in education, they, in practice, exacerbate antiblackness through inequitably mandated standardized testing, distributed funding and policed schooling.Originality/valueThis paper applies BlackCrit analysis of education policy to reimagine Black educational possibilities.

Perspectives of special education teachers and paraprofessionals on working together in general education settings

ABSTRACT Although educational policies differ across countries, there appear to be clear commonalities across a global context in some aspects of the utilisation of special education paraprofessionals and their relationships with special education teachers. Research and federal education policies in the United States highlight the importance of ensuring access to general education curriculum and settings for students with disabilities. In response to students’ needs for support in general education settings, schools have widely turned to the utilisation of paraprofessionals, which can present challenges. This qualitative study explored the perspectives of 64 special education teachers and paraprofessionals across 11 focus groups, focused on the key issues that arise when working together to support students with disabilities in general education settings. We used inductive qualitative analysis to identify four themes of key issues, related to: (a) shared ownership of student learning, (b) planning and implementing appropriate supports, (c) navigating collaborating roles, and (d) facilitating the bridge between general and special education. We offer recommendations for future research and practice, including for teachers, paraprofessionals, administrators, and teacher preparation personnel.

Federal Education Policy and the Role of Muhammad Yusof bin Ahmad, 1951–1955

Federal Education Policy and the Role of Muhammad Yusof bin Ahmad, 1951–1955

Mexican-American Moderates and the Shaping of Federal Education Policy: The Case of the May 25, 1970 Memorandum

During the past several decades, historians have investigated various aspects of the Chicano movement. In most of these studies, the important role that moderate liberal activists have played in promoting significant social change during the same period has been slighted. By moderate liberal activists, I mean those who depended on the federal government to help solve the problems facing the Mexican-American community, trusted mainstream institutions and political leaders to eliminate discrimination, and, most importantly, rejected the politics of protest. Little is known about these individuals. Who were these men and women, and how did they contribute to the struggle for social justice and educational equality?
 The following study examines the role that some moderate liberal educators played in promoting school reform during the height of the Chicano movement. It focuses on the drafting of the May 25, 1970 memorandum and the role played by Mexican Americans in shaping its development. This memorandum was the first major policy developed by the Office for Civil Rights to deal with the issue of discrimination against linguistically distinct children in the public schools. It clarified the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare’s (HEW) position on the responsibility of local school districts to “provide equal educational opportunity to national origin minority group children deficient in English language skills.” I argue that while Mexican- American moderates did not play a direct role in the formulation of this policy due to their exclusion from federal agencies prior to the 1960s, they did play a crucial role in its enforcement. Their involvement in the implementation of the memorandum was the origins of meaningful Mexican-American participation in the shaping of educational policies at the national level.

The Evolution of Access to Education Through Landmark Legislation, Court Cases, and Policy Initiatives Setting Precedent for The Gary B. Court Decision

Access to education for all students has been long sought. Once defined as physical access to a school building, the concept of access has evolved since Brown v. Board of Education. The purpose of this policy review, conducted through archival research, is to examine the evolution of access to K–Grade 12 education for all students, with an emphasis on students with disabilities who are general education students first, to understand the implications of the 2020 U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals Gary B. vs. Whitmer decision. For the first time, a federal court ruled that the constitution affords all students “a fundamental right to a basic minimum education.” Specifically, the evolving concept of access to education for all students, including students with disabilities, across (a) the school building, (b) curricular opportunities, (c) education outcomes, and (d) a college- and career-ready curriculum is outlined using landmark K–Grade 12 federal education legislation, court cases, and policy initiatives. Taken together, a basic minimum education includes access to challenging academic learning objectives, an emphasis on literacy, provision of educational materials of sufficient quantity and quality, and an adequate teacher workforce. Meeting these expectations assures genuine access to a public education for all students.

A comparison of federal and state special education laws: implications for music educators

State governments have the purview to interpret federal special education policies as they see fit. Interpretations of these policies to music education rarely are addressed within state special education policy. The authors selected four states to analyze and compare state special education policies; Illinois, Michigan, Texas, and Virginia. Policies highlighted by the authors include funding, LRE, access to information, and professional development. The authors outline how these policies may apply to music education settings and what music educators can do to more fully support students with disabilities. Additionally, the authors offer policy and practice recommendations.

How Do Federal Policy Shocks to State Spending Impact Returns to Primary and Secondary Education?

Using NIPA and IPEDS data from 2000 to 2017, this research employs a panel event-study VAR to determine the recursive impact of federal education policy on college enrollment and state spending on education. Specifically, this project focuses on race and gender to analyze the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, and Common Core State Standards as random shocks to federal spending. Do federal policy or state standards help educational disparities? Findings indicate decentralized policies or standards must be centrally aligned to be effective in the US. Improvements must be made for all demographic groups.

Law Students Left Behind: Law Schools' Role in Remedying the Devastating Effects of Federal Education Policy

Law Students Left Behind: Law Schools' Role in Remedying the Devastating Effects of Federal Education Policy

Law Students Left Behind: Law School's Role in Remedying the Devastating Effects of Federal Education Policy

Law Students Left Behind: Law School's Role in Remedying the Devastating Effects of Federal Education Policy

Analyzing Congressional Research Service Reports on Education: How Is Information Used at Congress’s Think Tank?

The Congressional Research Service (CRS) is the nonpartisan research and analytical arm of the U.S. Congress and is physically and structurally located within the Library of Congress. Despite the role of CRS as a critical information provider and technical assistant to actors crafting and implementing federal policy, CRS reports, which serve as a key mechanism of information dissemination and influence by the organization, only became widely available to the public following the adoption of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2018. This study uses content analysis to examine CRS’s education-related reports from the 115th Congress to explore what sources are directly and indirectly informing federal policymaking based on references in CRS reports. Findings offer insights into research utilization in the federal education policy process and contribute to the growing literature on intermediary organizations and knowledge brokering.

The Yankee Leviathan Collects Statistics: Federal Education Policy During Reconstruction

The Yankee Leviathan Collects Statistics: Federal Education Policy During Reconstruction

Migration and schooling in Brazil: an exploratory study on the governmental response to the educational inclusion of contemporary migrants (Migración y escolarización en Brasil: estudio exploratorio de la respuesta gubernamental a la inclusión educativa de la población migrante contemporánea)

ABSTRACT This paper discusses migrant welcoming strategies in the Brazilian public education system and offers critical reflection on the underlying concepts. We argue that the redemocratized Brazilian government provides centralizing, non-specific legal frameworks and policies tending to see vulnerable persons as a social problem; racial and economic biases place migrants from peripheral countries as part of this problem. The data collected to investigate this hypothesis were: (a) the 2019 Brazilian School Census; (b) an inquiry sent to the State Department of Education of all 27 Federative Units of Brazil; and (c) the official state government websites. Our analysis indicated that, in the absence of a federal education policy attentive to the specificities of contemporary migrants, the state governments undervalue migrants and disregard their cultural, economic, social and intellectual potential. The data also confirm that public policies have been slowly changing this outlook into an equitable appreciation of difference but still do not impact the education of migrants. Finally, the notion of Brazil as a welcoming country is challenged.

The Administrator’s Role in Universal Design for Learning’s Successful Implementation

Implementing Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a critical issue for public schools in our country. UDL is an inclusive framework based on the science of learning. It supports and removes barriers to learning for all students while maintaining high expectations. Federal education policies have called for inclusive instruction based on UDL principles. Nevertheless, our educators and administrators are not sure they believe in it and do not know what exactly it is or how to implement it with fidelity (Jordan, 2018; Monsen et al., 2014; Russel & Bray, 2013). Previous researchers have found that teachers are more likely to implement inclusive teaching practices such as UDL when they have positive attitudes toward them shaped by their culture, experiences, and training. Administrators have a unique position to influence teacher attitudes by creating an inclusive school culture and providing instructional leadership. UDL benefits all students-not just those with unique needs-by increasing student engagement and removing learning barriers.

Sovereignty, citizenship and educating refugees in the United States

Public education in the United States acts as a governmental tool of neoliberalism, through which state power and sovereignty are deployed and transformed in daily life. Here, I examine how the divergence of sovereignty is exerted over refugee students and their families in US public education. Drawing on 42 months of ethnographic data collected on refugee and other immigrant networks in Southern Arizona, a US–Mexico border region marked by increasing anti-immigrant policies and practices, I reveal how the everyday practices and policies of one school district reflect and reinforce the government’s control over refugee students. I argue that the ways in which the students are sorted, marginalized, and denied opportunities as learners is inextricable from their positioning as non-citizens by the federal and state governments. Specifically, I demonstrate the linkages between the federal education policy, Every School Succeeds Act, Arizona State’s Proposition 203: English Language Education for the Children in Public Schools, which eliminated bilingual education, and the school district’s approach to teaching refugee students. Finally, I offer recommendations for creating more inclusive, assets-based learning environments for refugee students that push back against the neoliberal favoring of competition and one-size-fits-all solutions in public education.

Analyzing Barriers, Innovating Pedagogy: Applying Universal Design for Learning in a Teacher Residency

Over the last two decades, Universal Design for Learning (UDL) has emerged as a pedagogical framework for inclusive teaching and learning. UDL builds on learner variability as a starting point for instructional and curricular design, and aims to minimize barriers in the learning environment. In addition to its widespread use in K12 settings and its endorsement in federal education policy, UDL has also gained momentum in teacher education research and practice. Although a number of scholars have explored the use of UDL in preservice teacher education curricula, there are limited descriptions of how teacher educators apply concepts of UDL in their own pedagogy and practice. The purpose of this paper is to describe the process of applying UDL as a pedagogical innovation in a teacher residency (preparation) program. We share examples of how turning the lens on our own practice as teacher educators has allowed us to redesign multiple aspects of our curriculum, instructional practice, and program at large. We conclude by highlighting the iterative nature of UDL application, and by making recommendations for future research and inquiry on UDL in teacher education.

Civic Engagement in Education: Insights from California's Local Control Funding Formula

In this policy brief, we use the case of California's Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) to provide policy makers and educators guidance on how to involve the public in goal setting and resource distribution decisions. We provide clarity around who is and is not participating, why, and what broader lessons we can draw for implementing federal and state education policies mandating public engagement. Our findings indicate tremendous room for improvement. LCFF's target populations (e.g., low-income, English learners) are not more likely to be aware of or participate in decisions than nontargeted groups, which suggests weak accountability for the use of public funds by the policy's target populations. Although LCFF has defined a broad set of stakeholders, only a narrow segment of the public (i.e., individuals with stronger ties to and positive views of schools) is aware of and engaging with the policy. Finally, we find a substantial gap between actual participation in LCFF and interest in participation, which may relate to a lack of self-efficacy, time, trust, perceived appropriateness, and information. As states and districts respond to mandates for engagement, these results suggest the need for greater investments in: (1) communication, (2) targeting a range of stakeholders, and (3) capacity building.

What is research? Educators' conceptions and alignment with United States federal policies.

This study draws on two communities theory to address two major research questions related conceptions of research in educational practice and policy. First, how do educators conceptualize research? Second, to what extent do educators' conceptions of research align with recent U.S. federal educational policies? We conducted 90 semi-structured interviews with educators in the United States, asking them what comes to mind when they think of research. We used open, axial, and selective coding to characterize educators' conceptions of research. We also compared educators' conceptions of research to two U.S. federal educational policies that define scientifically based research and evidence-based interventions. Findings indicate that educators and policies defined research in similar ways, but each included some unique characteristics. Implications from the study include the need for increased communication between federal policy-makers and educators and improved reporting by researchers to better attend to the needs of educators and policymakers.

School absence in the United States: understanding the role of STEM-related vocational education and training in encouraging attendance

ABSTRACTRecent federal education policies and initiatives in the United States have emphasised the importance of college and career readiness and showing up in school. The Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Improvement Act provides federal funding for career and technical education (CTE) in the country, and key pieces of the act focus on increasing participation in career training coursework related to high demand and high paying careers, with a specific emphasis on maths and science fields. Additionally, the act highlights the need to increase participation in CTE work for ‘special populations’ – including low-income and under-represented minority (URM) students. With regards to attendance, the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) allowed for states to individually decide upon a less traditional measure of school success. In response, 36 states identified chronic absence as that measure. Using an instrumental variable estimation approach, we explore the relationship between applied STEM career and technical education (AS-CTE) and absence from school. We explore this relationship broadly, as well as for low-income and URM students more specifically. We find that participation in AS-CTE is predictive of fewer absences as well as reduced probability of excessive absences. Implications are discussed.

The ‘production’ of education: the turn from equity to efficiency in U.S. federal education policy

ABSTRACT The U.S. federal government has played a growing role in setting nationwide education policy since the passage of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) in 1965. This Act, along with the ‘Equality of Educational Opportunity’ report commissioned by the 1964 Civil Rights Act, led the U.S. Office of Education to pursue a policy agenda focused on equalizing access and ameliorating poverty through the education system. Despite the promotion of equity serving as the officially stated goal of federal policy, expert evaluations of the government’s efforts incorporated technical assumptions from the field of economics that prioritized maximizing efficiency between inputs and outputs in the education system. When the ESEA was reauthorized in 2002 as No Child Left Behind, significant ‘policy drift’ had occurred such that the evaluation of teacher quality – which was the subject of a large literature in economics on the ‘education production function’ – was incorporated as a key component of the education system’s flagship anti-poverty initiative, Title I.