Employing a social justice framework, this book provides educational leaders and practitioners with tools and strategies for grappling with the political fray of education politics. The framework offers ways to critique, challenge, and alter social, cultural, and political patterns in organizations and systems that perpetuate inequities. The…

A Special Issue of the "Journal of Philosophy of Education" in November 2012 explored key aspects of the relationship between philosophy of education and educational policy in the UK. The contributions were generally critical of policy developments in recent decades, highlighting important shortcomings and arguing for more…

This case study is a narrative of four major leadership paradigms: managerial, transactional, transformational, and distributed leaderships. Understanding these leadership styles may help both practicing and prospective school leaders navigate better in the complex, dynamic, murky, and challenging waters of educational leadership. Furthermore,…

Researchers, policy makers, and practitioners share a sincere interest in improving the human condition. Academics may be tempted to fault irrationality, ideology, or ignorance for the failure of research to inform policy and practice more powerfully, but policy makers and practitioners want academics to tell them "what works" in order to find a…

Issues pertaining to children often struggle to become public policy priorities. A clear demonstration of this phenomenon is the degree to which children are supported in the federal budget in comparison to other priorities. If issues pertaining to children struggle for the policy spotlight, subissues pertaining to them face an even greater…

"Something in Common" is the first book to provide a detailed look at the groundbreaking Common Core State Standards and their potential to transform American education. This book tells the story of the unfolding political drama around the making of the Common Core State Standards for math and English language arts, which were adopted by…

This author begins by mapping the policy changes of the past 20 years that have occupied and changed the educational terrain in New Zealand. Fundamentally, the reform of education was premised on ideological conjecture that some changes (structural, administrative, pedagogical and managerial) were required, and that these changes would deliver…

How alumni can strengthen a government relations program is discussed. Any government relations program tries to communicate higher education's importance to the economic and social growth of both the state and the country. No group can be more effective than alumni in promoting higher education as a political priority. (MLW)

Breaks were imposed in the game Monopoly, at which times the players, college level students, elected one person and gave him or her the power to change the rules. Behavior similar to political behavior in the real world resulted. The students discovered the resemblance and wrote papers on what had occurred. (RM)

Presents an exercise for use in political science courses on the college level that requires students to solve a frequently occurring problem--the provision of a collective good and the allocation of its costs. To solve the problem, students answer questions such as "Why do we have governments?" and "What constitutes a just policy?" (Author/DB)

A model presidential nominating convention gathered 4,000 students from three states in May 1984 and selected Gary Hart as the Democratic nominee. Preconvention training prepares students to run the convention themselves while learning the political process in action. (MD)

Presents descriptions (syllabi, outlines, goals) of selected environmental studies courses which approach the discipline from an historical and humanistic perspective. Areas explored in the courses include human ecology, American environmental history, environmental politics, and others. (JN)

A teacher should assist others to participate in the life of the mind rather than to be mere spectators. A teaching strategy called the metaphorical technique is described. The ability to see the universal in the particular is necessary for the mastery of any discipline. (MLW)

This book will empower everyone who works in education to build more support in Congress and state legislatures. It is full of personal anecdotes that illuminate successes, failures, and examples that teach from real-life experience. "Empowering School Leaders" is tailored for educators and designed to show them how to increase their political…

"The Federalist" should be understood as a document with three purposes. It is: a campaign document designed to win popular support for the proposed Constitution; a serious work of political thought, analyzing the nature of free societies; and the authoritative commentary on the Constitution. This guide is intended to help readers of…