Viewpoints:
From the Statehouse to the Classroom:
Governing America's Schools
Is Politics in Education Here to Stay?
Defining "Politics"
David Tyack states that politics and public education are inseparable (interview with Ed Janus for Viewpoints, 2001). But what do we mean by "politics"? It conjures up an array of images and ideas, some more appealing than others. Webster's Dictionary outlines definitions ranging from "the art and science of government" to "factional scheming for power." The definitions are highly varied. What is consistent in most definitions is the notion of politics as something that necessarily arises from the system of governance. If governance is the system of directing affairs or political administration, politics is a by-product of that system. Our government is the structure, or machine, we construct. The operation of the machine, the attempts to control the direction, speed, and function of the machine is politics. The not-so-favorable interpretations of politics arise from the fact that many differing factions would like to control the machine of governance, and there are an infinite number of interpretations of how it can and should be driven. Add to this, that societal conditions and demands are always changing. What does or does not work today may not have the same effect tomorrow.
In the most general of interpretations, politics signifies many things--"the art of governance," "the guidance of policy," and "the winning and holding of control over government" (Webster's Dictionary). Each aspect of politics is imperative as it pertains to U.S. education. Elmore (1997) describes politics as occurring in an arena of conflict, where competing interest groups with different resources and capacities vie for influence to shape policy in their own image. Education is yet another arena of conflicting priorities and interests where politics manifests itself.
