Course Description
Critical examination and analysis of organizational theory as it applies to educational policy issues in the context of the current educational reform movement with emphasis on improved student learning and accountability.
Athena Title
Educational Policy Change
Equivalent Courses
Not open to students with credit in EDAP 9010E
Pre or Corequisite
EDAP 8210 or EDAP 8210E
Semester Course Offered
Offered every year.
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Course Objectives
The student will: 1. Gain an understanding of organizational features of school critical to school reform, including mission and vision, structure of tasks, the organization of work, and social content and context of work. 2. Identify the underlying assumptions of major policy reforms, including K-12 standards and accountability, as well as gain familiarity with the history and development of major shifts in the policy context. 3. Examine organizational change from the perspective of teachers and students, especially reform effects on the nature of teacher and student work and interactions. 4. Gain a working familiarity with policy levels (national, state, district) and some of the design issues underlying current policy efforts, Including K-12 standards and accountability. 5. Use theories about policy implementation and school organization to assess the assets and obstacles to policy implementation at the school level and to analyze how to respond effectively given a set of school organizational features. 6. Learn about challenges to rational and organizational models, including how alternative theories critique rational policy and organizational models, define current policy problems, and how to resolve them.
Topical Outline
Schools as Organizations Schools within Systems Teachers' work: nested levels of organization Teachers' work: climate and collegiality Change: Making meaning of reform How schools change reforms Federal, state and district policy: the challenge of scale National and state policy alignment: rational model National standards movement: history and assumptions State and local accountability issues: design issues Organizational response to accountability policies Assessing student-level effects of accountability policies Alternatives to policy alignment