Todays Class

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Todays Class

• Quiz
• Student Presentations Californias Proposition
  13Erick Weyant
• Education
• Next Class
• Course evaluations. Volunteer?

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• Please pick up TODAYS QUIZ. Please pick up
  graded materials desk in front after you turn in
  your quiz. Also turn in any material for grading
  at front.

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Announcements

• Final Exam PSC 311 Thursday 05/09 0700
  1000 PM CAPEN 262
• Lowest Quiz Grade through the class of April 4th
  has been dropped. Lowest quiz grade from last
  class forward will not be dropped (so dont skip
  class or skip reading for class!)

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Announcements

• Only one optional papers left. You must do at
  least two, only the top 2 grades will count.
• If you have not signed up to do a presentation
  please do so. You must do one presentation.

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(No Transcript)
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What did you think of our guest speaker, County
Legislator Crystal Peoples, in the last class?A)
Her presentation contributed to my understanding
of the topic more than a regular
lecture/discussion. B) Her presentation
contributed to my understanding of the topic
about as much as a regular lecture/
discussion.C) Her presentation was less helpful
than a regular lecture/discussion.
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Which of the following best characterizes your
opinion of Democracy Derailed?A. The book
significantly enhanced my understanding of the
topic and I appreciate why the entire book was
assigned.B. The book enhanced my understanding
of the topic, but I feel that a shorter reading
from the book, or perhaps another shorter
reading, would have served as well (or almost as
well, or better).C. The length of the reading
made it difficult for me to retain as much
information as I would have liked.D. The
authors bias was so strong that I didnt trust
the book as s source of information. E.
Although none of the above statements really
reflects my opinion, my basic opinion about the
book is positive.F. Although none of the above
statements really reflects my opinion, my basic
opinion about the book is negative.
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Education Federalism

• Mix of control financing amongst state, local
  and federal government.
• Education largest cost for most states
• Most school districts rely on a mix of state aid
  and local property taxes
• Federal gov helps, but only a little, and
  influences policy by conditioning assistance.
• Ideological issue equity v. autonomy.

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Education In NY

• Nearly 700 School Districts ranging in size from
  NYC to a single school.
• Most, but big 5 can raise their own taxes.
• The same ones put school budgets up for
  referendum.
• Mix of state, local and federal financing.

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Education State Constitutions

• Many states make education a constitutional
  right. Some require states to provide quality
  education.
• This requirement has spared law suites in many
  states including Texas, New Jersey and New York.

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Education Financing (Average for All States)
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What about the lottery?

• What is funagability?
• Lotteries are often sold to the public as a way
  to increase education spending?
• Lottery money usually either goes to the general
  fund, or replaces increases that would have been
  implimented anyway.

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Variation Amongst States
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Wealth Disparity
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Why disparity?

• Income based on property tax varies dramatically
  from school district to school district based on
  the districts wealth. In short, wealthy
  districts can easily raise more than poorer
  districts.
• Hawaii funds education almost exclusively through
  state funds, thus there is no disparity.

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Reforms?

• Equity (First Wave) Reforms Lawsuits and related
  efforts attempting to equalize educational
  funding.
• Edgewood (Texas) what happened?
• New Jersey -- you will tell me what happened next
  week.
• NY - In the courts now!

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Education Reform in Texas

• And its context amongst the states

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Governors Role

• Because of the weakness of his office - p. 122
• Whats that about? How does Gov. influence
  policy?
• Bully pulpit (p.123) direct and indirect
  lobbying.
• Who do our text identify as the supreme policy
  makers in American education? P. 402.
• Legislatures. Was that the case in this story?

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TAAS What was it?P. 124-125

• Texas example of standardized test reform
  similar to efforts in many states. How does it
  work?
• Requires passage of a standardized test to move
  up a grade.
• Goal?
• Ensure minimum competence, end social
  promotion.
• Problems?
• Too heavy reliance on test taking skills at too
  young an age.

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Charter SchoolsP. 126-128

• What happened?
• Legislature creates 20 charter schools in 1995,
  freeing them from much state regulation.
• Gov. Bush backed expansion of the program while
  it was still young, increasing number to 168 in
  six months.
• Advantage Why wait for the results when the
  system is so broken any fix is better than
  nothing.
• Problem Schools were given charters too quickly
  some didnt deserve them.
• Still not clear if charter schools work.
• Texas experience similar to NYs and other
  states.
• Very popular reform.

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Edgewood CaseP. 129-130

• Series of court decisions ruling that Texas
  system of financing education inequitable.
• While this case is similar to others in other
  states, Texas financing system is unusual in
  that Texas has no income tax. Financing overall
  is especially regressive.
• Court didnt mandate how funding should be
  reformed.

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Edgewood CaseP. 133-134

• Gov. Richards solution Take money away from
  rich districts and give it to poor districts.
• Her Robin Hood bill passed the legislature but
  was defeated at the polls.
• Question Which institution was better capable of
  making the choice on behalf of the public?

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Edgewood CaseP. 133-134

• The Legislature devised a Robin Hood bill that
  did not have to go to the public, which passed.
• Some legislators were defeated at the polls as a
  result.
• Question Is that the way it should work?

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Education Direct Democracy

• School budgets often put on the ballot, even in
  NY.
• States with IR often restrict school district
  flexibility through initiatives. CAs Prop 13 an
  example, but also initiatives requiring small
  class size, or a of states budget to go to
  education funding.

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Michigan Example

• Gov. Engler and the Legislature repealed 6.9
  billion in local property taxes without
  designating an alternative.
• Citizens were given a choice on the ballot and
  approved a 2 sales tax hike along with increased
  sin taxes.
• Was this innovative leadership or passing the
  buck?

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Other Reforms

• Standardized Testing
• No pass, no play.
• Increased teacher compensation. (See chart to the
  right)

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Perot Commission

• Why did Gov. White appoint Perot?
• Why did Perot hold hearings all over the state?
• What is no-pass, no play?
• What did the was the recommendation on class
  size?
• What did White do with the report?
• Called a special session. (Institutional power).

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Perot Commission

• What lobby interests attempted to influence
  outcome?
• Teachers, administrators, school boards, later
  businesses.
• Some legislators were voted out due to unpopular
  reforms.

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Restructuring

• Idea School governance is the root problem to
  most educational deficiencies.
• The smaller the governance structure the better.
• Market reforms can help improve schools

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Restructuring Reforms

• School Site Authority Schools have greater
  discretion in hiring and curriculum. Charter
  Schools are a result of this line of thought.
• School Choice. The idea being that parents will
  choose the best schools and the worst will die
  of market forces.
• Vouchers. Using public money to help students
  attend private or religious schools.

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Reform Movements that Havent Taken Off

• Elimination of school districts either for
  purposes of choice or financing.
• Robin Hood bills tend to be unpopular.
• Federal requirements for bussing are slowly
  vanishing.
• Mandate relief counter to legislative impulses
  (defibrillators Potato Famine examples).

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Bushs attempt at code reformp. 135-140

• What is code reform?
• Equalize tax structure by eliminating loop
  holes, spreading out the tax burden more fairly.

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Bushs attempt at code reformp. 135-140

• Why did this have trouble passing?
• Business lobbyists against it.
• Bushs Republican opponents called it a tax hike.
• Democrats demanded more Republican support for it
  to get their support.
• Ultimately, this reform lost.

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Next Class

• Topic Wrap up, conclusions, review.
• Student Presentations Fran Coudriet
• Paper topic Education Reform in New Jersey
• Extra Credit Papers Due
• Yes, there will be a quiz.

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Next Weeks Paper

• Jim Florio and Education Reform in NJ. When Jim
  Florio was elected Governor of NJ in 1989, he
  inherited a court-order to bring his state's
  educational funding formula in line with
  constitutional requirements to provide equal
  educational opportunities to all students. His
  solution was the Quality of Education Act. What
  happened and why?

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Next Weeks Paper

• Your answer to that question is your thesis. The
  rest of your paper should interpret well-cited
  information supporting your thesis.
• What happened is open ended -- make sure your
  thesis is focused.
• Dont forget to consider an alternative argument.
  

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Pitfalls to Avoid

• Remember that you are presenting an argument. As
  such you probably want to focus more on the why
  than the what happened part.
• Be extra sure to avoid a simple recitation of
  facts or chronology of events. Be sure that
  every sentence you write is in defense of your
  thesis.

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Pitfalls to Avoid

• Since you are writing an argument, and much of
  the what happened is factual, your thesis
  should probably focus on the why part.
• Avoid a detailed analysis of the Quality
  Education Act. You will need to explain what the
  act did only so far as is necessary to defend
  your thesis.

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Counter Argument

• A great test for the strength of your thesis is
  identifying a plausible counter-argument. If you
  are not writing about something that can be
  explained in different ways, your thesis is
  probably too weak.
• Make sure your counter argument explains the same
  phenomenon that your thesis attempts to explain.

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Counter Argument

• Make sure you explain why you find your thesis
  more plausible than the counter-argument.
  Support your assertions with well researched and
  well cited evidence.

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Sources

• This paper can take several valid directions.
  Accordingly, where you research depends on what
  direction you choose.
• New Jersey newspapers and The New York Times
  covered this issue extensively between 1989 and
  1994.
• Try scheduling interviews with policymakers in
  New Jersey including officials from the states
  education department, academic experts at The
  Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers, state
  legislators, and former Governor Jim Florio.
• Depending on your thesis, you may find
  information in academic journals or books about
  education policy.