The challenge of meeting
ever-changing education policies
Studying education policy is diving into a complicated web of jargon, federal and state-specific mandates, local minutiae, and pages of rules and regulations, often designed with little input from classroom educators and experts. Policy directives and goals can shift quickly, as new legislators are elected or leaders appointed. As new laws trickle down to states and districts, classroom teachers and building leaders are forced to make swift changes to meet federal guidelines, follow state standards, and achieve district goals. It’s no wonder the only thing constant for most educators is change.
Federal involvement 1.0 and 2.0
National education policy has undergone rapid change over the last two decades, beginning with the passing of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) in 2001. NCLB served as an update to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), the 1965 legislation passed by President Lyndon Johnson that created a role for the federal government in education policy.
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