Education+Policy



= Description =

The state government spends more money on education than on any other area of public policy. This doesn't include the amount of money chipped in by the tax payers in the thousand or so independent school districts in the state. Just given this bit of information it should come as no surprise that education policy is very controversial, but it goes beyond that.

If you recall from the introductory section in this class, education was argued to be central to the ability of the citizens and the state to retain a democratic republic. This explains why a section in the Texas Declaration of Independence is devoted to the importance of public education and why a section of the Texas Constitution is devoted to it. But debates about who exactly gets educated and what the content of that education should be is an ongoing source of controversy. In addition, education in the state is both organized principally at the local level, and is also subject to national law. This creates a very complex area of policy - in some ways perhaps the most complex given that it affects so many different actors. And there's more: Add to that that fact that Texas tends to score very low in most measures of academic success along with efforts by some groups to steer children away from public schools and into charter schools, or private school by allowing them access to "vouchers."

= Goals =

- to know why public education is provided its own section in the Texas Constitution - to know what role public education played in justifying the push for independence from Mexico - to understand the complex roles education is supposed to play, what its various goals are - to know why the content of education tends to be so controversial - to be able to describe the various roles the different levels of government play in setting education policy as well as the conflicts that exist between them - to know some basic facts about education in Texas - to understand the organization of educational institutions in the state, notably the relationships between the state and the independent school districts - to be familiar with the content of Article 7 of the Texas Constitution - to know the basics of school finance. - to know the difference between K-12 and higher education - to have an understanding of the roles of school boards and board of regents - to know the impact the the courts have had on education policy - to understand the impact of the equal protection clause as it applies to education funding across the state. - to know the constitutional controversies associated with the overall level of funding for education in Texas - to know the basic roles of the Texas Education Agency, the State Board of Education, and the Higher Education Coordinating Board, as well as the state legislature

= Key Terms =

- independent school districts - K-12 - higher education - a general diffusion of knowledge - land grants - standardized testing - tax rate - tax base - the "Robin Hood' plan - charter schools - magnet schools - school vouchers