PUP3002 Final Exam Professor Coleman Education Policy Environmental Policy Global Climate Change Funding Public Education Trends in Public Education Teacher Quality No Child Left Behind NCLB Common Core Standards Early Childhood Education Social Mobility Non cognitive Skills Perry Preschool Program Student Debt Sources of funding for higher education Pell grant Massive open online courses MOOCs Sustainable Development Clean Air Act Clean Water Act National Environmental Policy Act NEPA Greenhouse Gas Greenhouse Effect Kyoto Protocol Hydraulic Fracturing Trends in Energy Production and use Keystone Pipeline Not in my back yard NIMBY Fracking Why is education important Public education in the US has fulfilled many of the nation s basic goals 1 According to Thomas Jefferson it provides an avenue to ensure the continuation of the US democracy To be engaged in the political process people need to know what they are talking about 2 Education helps to assimilate large numbers of immigrants 3 Education is the primary mechanism for social mobility in the US The educated can secure jobs easier which raises their social and economic status In the US education has 1 Given people a way to better themselves 2 Provided immigrants a way to assimilate 3 Has been led by state and local governments Why did the government choose to provide public education MORAL REASONS Seen as a way to help individuals and groups understand the nation s ideals and give them a chance to better themselves POLITICAL REASONS Informed people about the system of government and imparted the nation s political culture Served the needs of certain political parties and helped them get elected Education is a positive externality Education is a positive externality because Society benefits from a well educated population which justifies the government s involvement and support The Constitution states that well educated people help the common good which results in contributing citizens and a better workforce What is the importance of higher education Individual benefits earnings Positive externalities civic workforce quality of life Economic development Higher education Should education be viewed as a public or private good Pure private good a good that is private and for which there is no market failure Funding Public Education Trends in Public Education Teacher Quality No Child Left Behind NCLB Common Core Standards Pure public good provided by the government for which a market failure can occur Two points of view public or private Education policy growing public interest and dissatisfaction Moving up on the policy agenda feds becoming involved Emerging policy issues Access to college education Funding K 12 education The quality of K 12 education Achievement gap of K 12 Education in urban areas Government Role in K 12 Public education Traditionally financed and run by state and local government 1965 Elementary and Secondary Education Act ESEA federal funding for education How is K 12 Education Funded Funding sources Local property tax levy about 2 5 of school funding State funds about half Minor federal funds Florida 6 786 per student national average is about 10 000 What issues does policymaking for education include 46 from property taxes 36 from state 18 from federal government Funding Separation of church and state Quality of education School vouchers Merit of proposals Issue 1 Funding Public Education Most of the funding for education comes from local property taxes This characteristic makes sure that states and local governments maintain control over school curriculum States provide 50 historically much more This form of financing has encountered several problems Property taxes are not buoyant property taxes do not keep up with the pace of rising costs of education Equity property tax revenue varies within the 50 states and within the states themselves Equity is very difficult to measure Students from poor areas may be receiving poor quality of education Many believe that this type of financing is inequitable and should be replaced with a state or federal funding system School funding has a direct bearing on the quality of education Issue 2 Separation of Church and State The first amendment of the Constitution states Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof The two clauses that deal with freedom of religion are The Establishment Clause part of the First Amendment of the Constitution states that Congress cannot establish a state religion The Free Exercise Clause part of the First Amendment of the Constitution that states that Congress cannot prevent the exercise or belief of a particular religion Issue 3 Quality of Education Education traditionalists suggest that quality is decreasing because schools are not emphasizing the basics Two arguments supporting vs against electives Issue 4 School Vouchers School vouchers school reform idea in which the government provides individuals with a certain amount of money that can be applied to a student s education often associated with a way to provide people with a private school option they may not have been able to afford in the past School vouchers are theoretically intended to improve education by promoting competition among schools TRENDS IN PUBLIC EDUCATION Many have argued that in order to break up the public school monopoly society needs to reform the system in a way that gives parents the option about their children s schools Suggested reforms include Market based approaches School choice provides parents with options where to send their children to school Selection is no longer by district but where the child will receive the best education Public schools only Includes private and voucher program schools School vouchers government provides parents a certain dollar amount to be applied to private or parochial schools Individual subsidies to attend private charter schools Income based enrollment Separation of church and state Expansion proposed Quality improvement is mixed parents consistently are more satisfied Charter schools a state board of education gives an independent entity the responsibility for establishing a school and delivering education services with limited control by the school board Limited government curriculum intervention Publicly funded Outside school district bureaucracy no teacher unions TEACHER QUALITY Teacher quality approaches In general teachers get raises based on their years of
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