Want to follow the Florida legislative session’s education activity in a structured course?<\/p>\n
Education Politics<\/strong><\/p>\n EDG 4909-006 (2 credit hours), CRN\u00a026417<\/strong><\/p>\n Spring 2012<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0Class time and place<\/em>: Online with the following face-to-face meetings:<\/p>\n Instructor: Sherman Dorn, Ph.D. Course description<\/em>. Analysis of the politics of education using spring legislative sessions in Florida and other states as a key focus. Major ideas for the course come from social-science models of education as a part of citizenship, the construction of policy, and education politics.<\/p>\n Note:<\/strong> This elective course provides perspectives on state education politics, and all students should understand that this course does not<\/em> fulfill program requirements in the USF College of Education.<\/p>\n Learning objectives<\/em>. At the end of the term, students will be able to<\/p>\n Summary of \u201cstuff you gotta do\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n The semester will start at a breakneck speed if you take advantage of it, because the regular legislative session starts the second day of the semester. Three or four days a week you should be checking for political news from the session regarding education (including education reporters\u2019 blogs) and also track important legislation and keep up with readings each week. If the regular session ends as scheduled just before USF\u2019s spring break, student obligations will shift from \u201cduring session\u201d to \u201cafter the session.\u201d Here is the brief breakdown:<\/p>\n Readings<\/strong><\/p>\n Required<\/em><\/p>\n One book will provide broad perspective on arguments about the role of schools:<\/p>\n Hochschild, J., & Scovronick, N. (2002). The American dream and the public schools<\/em>. New York: Oxford University Press.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n In addition, the following short pieces are required readings during the semester:<\/p>\n Bushaw, W. J., & Lopez, S. J. (2011). The 43rd annual Phi Delta Kappa\/Gallup poll of the public\u2019s attitudes toward the public schools. Kappan, 93<\/em>(1), 9-26.<\/p>\n Mazzeo, C. (2001). Frameworks of state: Assessment policy in historical perspective. Teachers College Record, 103<\/em>, 367-397.<\/p>\n Resnick, D. P. (1981). Educational policy and the applied historian: Testing, competency and standards. Journal of Social History, 14<\/em>(4), 539-559.<\/p>\n Tyack, D. (1991). Public school reform: Policy talk and institutional practice. American Journal of Education, 100<\/em>, 1-19.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Recommended readings<\/em><\/p>\n Marshall, C., & Scribner, J. D. (1991). “It’s all political”, Inquiry into the micropolitics of education. Education and Urban Society, 23<\/em>(4), 347-355.<\/p>\n DiMaggio, P., & Powell, W. (1983). The iron cage revisited: Institutional isomorphism and collective rationality in organizational fields. American Sociological Review, 48<\/em>(2), 147-160.<\/p>\n Pierson, P. (2000). Increasing returns, path dependency, and the study of politics. American Political Science Review, 94<\/em>(2), 251-267.<\/p>\n Plutzer, E., & Berkman, M. (2005). The graying of America and support for funding the nation\u2019s schools.\u00a0 Public Opinion Quarterly, 69<\/em>, 66-86.<\/p>\n Timar, T. (1997). The institutional role of state education departments: a historical perspective. American Journal of Education, 105<\/em>(3), 231-261.<\/p>\n Weatherly, R., & Lipsky, M. (1977). Street-level bureaucrats and institutional\u00a0 innovation: Implementing special-education reform. Harvard Educational Review, 17<\/em>(2), 171-197.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Evaluation\/major assignments<\/strong><\/p>\n 10%\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Face-to-face participation. During the one or two weeks you are scheduled for a \u201cfishbowl\u201d discussion on Friday at 12:55, students are responsible for bringing an \u201cEntry Ticket\u201d at the beginning of class discussing both the events of the week in state education politics (either in Florida or elsewhere) and any background reading required for the week.<\/p>\n 30%\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Online class participation. Each week (which starts and ends Friday 5 pm), you will be responsible for online class participation. This portion of the course will be point-based: the points for a week will be available only<\/em> for participation during that week. Students will have some options each week on where and how to participate.<\/p>\n 30%\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Midterm. The midterm on March 9 will require both mastery of education politics\/policymaking in Florida through the majority of the regular legislative session and application of key concepts from the first half of the semester to those events.<\/p>\n 30%\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Final exam. The final exam will require skills similar to those on the midterm, with more emphasis on analysis and less on recall.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n The semester grade will include pluses and minuses; component grades will be averaged using a quality-point system (i.e., an A for the midterm translates into a 4, eventually averaged with other assignments on a 0-4 scale using the weights listed above). More about specific assignments:<\/p>\n Face to face participation Entry Ticket<\/em>. At the start of your fishbowl, you must bring a printed (not handwritten!) \u201cEntry Ticket\u201d with your \u00a0name and date and the following:<\/p>\n Online class participation<\/em>. Each week (Friday 5 pm through Friday 5 pm), students will have options to earn up to 10 points in different ways (up to 5 points in each of the following areas): practicing knowledge by taking a quiz through mastery, contributing to prompt-based online discussions, posting a video response to the week\u2019s news (through Youtube and then uploading the link to a discussion board for such responses), or reflecting on the readings and media materials in a private journal. There are 14 weeks (1\/13 through 4\/23, not counting spring break), so the maximum number of points is 140, and the grade bands will be based accordingly: 126+ = A, 112+ = B, 98+ = C, 84+ = D, <84 = F.<\/p>\n Midterm<\/em>. The midterm on March 9 will have two parts, equally weighted: short-answer items on the legislative session and on the readings, and an essay (choice of two questions) that requires that you apply important course concepts to a legislative issue in 2011.<\/p>\n Final exam<\/em>. The final exam will involve a small number of short-answer items and 2 short essays that require that you apply important course concepts to legislative issues in 2011.<\/p>\n Semester outline<\/strong><\/p>\n Below are the dates of class meetings, topics, readings, and assignment due dates.<\/p>\n 1\/13\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Introduction, logistics, and the (in)formal legislative process. Legislative session begins 1\/10<\/p>\n 1\/20 \u00a0 \u00a0 General attitudes towards education. Read Bushaw & Lopez 2011.<\/p>\n 1\/27\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Education rhetorics. Read Tyack 1991.<\/p>\n 2\/3\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Budgets as priorities, politics, and symbolism<\/p>\n 2\/10\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Agendas. Read Mazzeo 2001.<\/p>\n 2\/17\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Pluralism and its discontents.<\/p>\n 2\/24\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 States as actors. Read Resnick 1981.<\/p>\n 3\/2\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Arm-twisting and other modern dance moves. Committee meetings end.<\/p>\n 3\/9\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Midterm. End of scheduled session.<\/p>\n 3\/12\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 USF Spring Break (no fishbowl). Read Hochschild & Scovronick 2002 (H&S) chapters 1-2<\/p>\n 3\/19\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 End of session debriefing (assuming session has ended!). Read H&S chap 3<\/p>\n 3\/26\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Conflicting goals for education. Read H&S chap 4.<\/p>\n 4\/2\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Recent history of education policy\/politics. Read H&S chap 5.<\/p>\n 4\/9\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The (ir)relevance of research. Read H&S chap 6.<\/p>\n 4\/16\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Implementation. Read H&S chap 7.<\/p>\n 4\/23\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Comparative study: other states. Read H&S chap 8.<\/p>\n After: Final exam (specific time\/place TBA).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n
\ndorn@usf.edu<\/em><\/a>, EDU 380-P; available\u00a0by appointment through http:\/\/tungle.me\/shermandorn<\/a>\u00a0(lots of hours available!)<\/p>\n\n
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