Viewpoints:
From the Statehouse to the Classroom:
Governing America's Schools
Is Politics in Education Here to Stay?
What Effect Does Politics Really Have on Education?
The underlying assumption behind the political structure of education is that there is a direct link to the education of students. In theory, the established system of educational governance elicits or supports political action that can improve educational quality and accessibility for students. Politics moves levers on the machine to produce the best results. Of course, theory does not always translate clearly into practice.
Determining how the politics of education actually translates into learning is a difficult task. The connection between politics and educational outcomes is tenuous at best (Ziebarth, 1999). Governance is an art as opposed to a science in large part because its direct effects, positive or negative, are difficult to quantify. Were politics a science, it would be possible to trace a causal relationship between political action and societal gain (or loss). However we are never certain if the political inputs of any given action result in a child learning to read. The task of determining what political inputs, if any, have an effect is highly complicated by the fact that no action occurs in isolation. Rather, there are many mandates, policies, and exertions of political will enacted simultaneously in constantly changing environments. This constant uncertainty may be the fuel of politics: Not knowing which actions produce results makes the idea of new and possibly more effective options attractive.
Some would argue that politics has created necessary structures for governance and a system within which advocates, champions, and experts continue to "tinker" toward that one best system to meet the needs of students (Tyack, 1990). Others say that maybe the politics of education has become so large and unruly that we are left with a bureaucratic beast, far removed from the actual work of educating children: a system concerned with its own survival rather than influencing student learning
What is certain is that the influence of politics on the delivery of education is greater than ever. The far-reaching arms of federal and state policy mandates are changing the way districts respond. The delivery of local services is shaped by the threat of federal and state accountability measures. The challenge at the local level is to be responsive to the increasing political inputs for which superintendents will be held accountable. What effect those decisions will have on the quality of teaching and learning remains to be seen. What is evident is that states and districts will be asked to respond soon, as conversations of increased accountability are currently occurring at the federal and state levels.
