From National Planning to Classroom Practice

Advanced industrialized countries share an
"achievement gap" between
students from low-income and high-income school
districts, despite
the different structures of their governments. This
book examines the
relationship between national planning and education
in two urban
school districts, Port City, USA and Montvelier,
France. Through
interviews with teachers and administrators and
observations of
classrooms in both settings, this book analyzes
whether educational
decision-making in the school districts has evolved
toward national
planning goals. Four education policy issues focus
the discussion:
depth of content, delivery of content, assessment and
accountability,
and funding. Both school districts demonstrate
successful attempts to
meet national goals; although historical, cultural
and institutional
constraints limit how much ground-level implementers
(teachers) are
able and willing to meet those goals.

Autorentext

Ph.D., Brandeis University, Politics; Ed.M. Harvard University,Administration, Planning and Social Policy; Social Studies Teacher, The Barack ObamaAcademy, Plainfield, NJ.

Klappentext

Advanced industrialized countries share an"achievement gap" between students from low-income and high-income schooldistricts, despite the different structures of their governments. Thisbook examines the relationship between national planning and educationin two urban school districts, Port City, USA and Montvelier,France. Through interviews with teachers and administrators andobservations of classrooms in both settings, this book analyzeswhether educational decision-making in the school districts has evolvedtoward national planning goals. Four education policy issues focusthe discussion: depth of content, delivery of content, assessment andaccountability, and funding. Both school districts demonstratesuccessful attempts to meet national goals; although historical, culturaland institutional constraints limit how much ground-level implementers(teachers) are able and willing to meet those goals.