Browsing by Subject "Politics of Education"

Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
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    Curriculum policy, controversy, and change: Minnesota's profile of learning, 1993-2003
    (2008-10) DeLapp, Peggy Reed
    This historical case study of Minnesota's Profile of Learning examines how and why the policy was created, implemented, and finally repealed. The Profile of Learning, Minnesota's first attempt at a statewide standards-based curriculum policy, was developed beginning in 1993, officially adopted in 1998, and repealed in 2003. Intended to stimulate change through statewide high expectations for students and associated improvements in curriculum and instruction, it instead became controversial and contested. The study uses a conceptual framework that addresses the social and political context for the policy, the policy actors and their beliefs about the purpose of schooling and the knowledge that should be contained in the curriculum, and the policy levers of curriculum, instruction, and teacher learning. Through the use of primary and secondary source documents and interviews, a chronology of significant events in the life of the Profile was constructed. The story was then examined to determine probable causes for the policy's failure. These included shifts in the state and national political contexts, varied policy stances on the part of policy actors and stakeholders, interest group activity from a group strongly opposed to the policy, conflicting beliefs about purpose and knowledge, and the use of ineffective policy levers. The case study suggests the need for improved attention to the policymaking process, particularly at the transition points between the policy ideas and formulation and subsequently between policy formulation and implementation. The lack of clear policy goals, appropriate policy instruments, and attention to feasibility contributed to later difficulties with the policy, as did the failure to use evaluative information to make adjustments during the implementation process. In addition, stronger collaboration between policymakers and practitioners is needed for the development of effective curriculum policy.
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    The process of politics: a study of the political process leading to the establishment of the Minnesota Center for Arts Education.
    (2009-10) Hainlen, James Douglas
    The purpose of this study was to investigate the political process that resulted in the establishment of the Minnesota Center for Arts Education as a state funded educational policy option. This research identified the interest group actors who initiated the idea and the key actors who guided it through the policy arena, and analyzed the interactions of the participants from the political perspective of actors, goals, motivations, resources, strategies, arenas, critical interactions, and outcomes. This study focused on the executive and legislative arenas in Minnesota government. The study was bounded in time by the initial policy proposal set forth to the members of the Minnesota Alliance for the Arts in Education in 1976, and the final enabling legislation passed in 1989. The research methodology was single case study with qualitative data gathered from interviews with 27 significant informants, archival sources, and the public record. The research found that human agency and personalization of policy were key elements in the policy making process and a constant factor in the dynamic interaction between Governor Perpich and state legislators. The concept of a state financed arts high school originated outside the K-12 policy subsystems and gained crucial support when the Governor attached himself and the resources of his position to the idea in 1984. The findings are significant for proponents of educational reform who believe that education policy options ought to be enacted on the merits of the idea and underestimate the importance of the complex interplay of human behavior: power, motivation, advocacy, executive leadership, and political strategy. This research concluded that the legislation for the Minnesota Center for Arts Education was enacted because of the effective use of resources controlled by the Governor and his staff, and a pragmatic understanding and implementation of political strategies during critical interactions in the legislative arena.