PLCY388E

The current U.S. education landscape including the role of federal, state, and local governments; current academic performance relative to international competitors and historical trends; opportunity and achievement gaps facing low-income students, students of color, English learners, and students with disabilities; policy decision- making, evidence of efficacy, "cost-benefit analysis", "opportunity cost" analysis, constituent/stakeholder politics, etc. The evolution of education policy debates including school integration, federal accountability, school finance reform, school turnaround initiatives, charter schools, vouchers, college & career-ready standards, teacher preparation & evaluation, bilingual education/dual language schools, early learning, equitable access to advanced coursework, and system resilience.