Introduction / Frederick M. Hess and Michael Q. McShane -- Testing and accountability: what have we learned and where do we go? / Deven Carlson -- The limits of policy for school turnaround / Ashley Jochim -- Incentives and inducements: the feds fight federalism / Patrick McGuinn -- Federal efforts to improve teacher quality / Matthew A. Kraft -- The Bush-Obama agenda for education research and innovation: major investment, mixed returns / Robert Pianta and Tara Hofkens -- Why standards produce weak reform / Tom Loveless -- Federal support for charter schooling: a presidential priority / Anna J. Egalite -- Challenging, building, and changing capacity in state education agencies / Sara E. Dahill-Brown -- Sound and fury: education and civil rights in the Bush and Obama administrations / Joshua Dunn -- Conclusion / Frederick M. Hess and Michael Q. McShane.
Summary:
Frederick M. Hess and Michael Q. McShane have gathered a diverse group of scholars to examine the shifting federal role in education across the presidential administrations of George W. Bush and Barack Obama. While the administrations were vastly different, one thing remained constant: an ongoing and significant expansion of the federal role in education. Moreover, many of the key principles underlying federal reform remained consistent: an emphasis on standards and test-based accountability; teacher quality as measured by test scores; school choice; and the importance of research in evaluating improvement initiatives. Rather than evaluating the merits of particular reforms, the book's contributors look at how federal involvement shaped the ways these initiatives were taken up--and by whom--as well as the sources and contours of political resistance. The contributors address a wide range of topics, from standards and accountability to charter schools to the federal role in education research and the civil rights paradigm as a way of framing education issues. The book pays special attention to the political dynamics that shaped the success or failure of federal initiatives, including Common Core, teacher evaluation, and Race to the Top, and each chapter concludes with a series of "Lessons Learned" that highlight key takeaways for moving forward. By examining the federal role in education across two such different administrations and over a sustained period of time, Bush-Obama School Reform offers a wealth of insight into the factors that support or constrain an expanded federal role in a range of education reforms and provides guidance for a changing era.--Provided by publisher.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.