Education Policy and Practice

This course provides an overview of educational policy as it plays out in local practice. Throughout the course, students will develop an understanding of foundational approaches to policy making, interpretation, and implementation as it plays out in education settings. In addition to providing an overview to the field of educational policy, the course investigates the relationship between policy and practice through attention to: (1) policymaking including policy mechanisms, framing, and policy actors; (2) processes of policy interpretation and implementation; and (3) policy as practice and the role of local leaders in developing policy. Throughout the course, we will examine how context shapes the relationship between policy and practice by focusing on sociocultural, organizational, and political influences. The course integrates critical perspectives as well as foundational concepts in our study of policy, highlighting how systems of oppression and power dynamics influence the policy process. During the course, students will have opportunities to apply theories and concepts to their own contexts, engaging in policy analysis and creation through hands-on assignments. The course approaches educational policy as incorporating both formal and informal policies, positioning practitioners as interpreters and implementers of local, state, and federal policies, as well as simultaneously designing and creating policies themselves.