Fall 2012 - 62207 - PA388K - Advanced Topics in Public Policy

Domestic Education Policy

Course Overview

Topics for these policy seminars have included environmental and natural resources policy, health-service delivery policy, social welfare policy, transportation policy, science and technology policy, international affairs, national security, urban and regional growth policy, and political campaigns.

Section Description

This course is framed by the broad question of whether the US public school system exacerbates inequality or reduces it. Within this framework, we will evaluate major educational reforms of the past 40 years, from desegregation and school finance equalization to de-tracking and teacher accountability. Students will learn to make policy recommendations in the face of contradictory claims and evidence. Students should be able to interpret regression analysis and get the gist of an article even when they don’t understand all the technical details.