The education policy of the United States expects it to tackle virtually all problems facing the society. Schools being the factories where the minds of the young populations they hold, have to be equipped with the correct legal and moral backing by the larger society. The social economic and cultural standing of a country rests mainly on the school system employed by the country in question. The economic aspect is given a specific attention since a nation that knows how to create wealth for them is in a better position to avoid poverty in a changing and globally competitive world.
Policy in education can be referred to as the theory, statement of an intended plan of action towards a certain goal. In this sense, policy is the skeleton upon which education is built. Following a predetermined/ familiar course of action likely produces predictable results. This is the motivation behind the development of education policy. In a society with diverse cultures and traditions among its various people, the development if a relatable culture and economic platform, fosters harmony both in the individual interactions and in the economic interactions. Policy therefore, has a focus on achieving specific goals and ends rather than separate individual decisions. All decisions made must have a clear direction towards achieving the policy goals.
The aim of education policies is to achieve the desired results in as smooth a way as possible. This implies that education policy strives to achieve the ends of being, effective, efficient, equitable and legitimate. Race to the top—competition among the states for federal grants based upon their adoption of various reforms. (Dye pg189, 2013) Policy instituted by Obama, for instance, seeks the compensation of counties by the award of grants utilizing competition among them in the institution of education policy. By encouraging competitive practices in the institution of these policies, the president seeks policy modeled towards efficiency by rewarding the most competitive states; the other states are motivated towards emulating them thus mirroring a uniform policy goal across the country.
With the society hosting people of varying economic abilities, it is difficult to make policy that represents equity in the chances at good education a child can receive anywhere in the United States. The Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment for instance is policy created to guarantee the equitable provision of education to all the citizens of the United States irrespective of their backgrounds. However, concerns over the allocation of resources to schools have been a cause for concern among some stake holders with the disparity in resources in public schools triggering them to seek the interpretation of the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court ruled that, there is no duty under the U.S. Constitution for a state to equalize educational resources within the state. (Dye pg192, 2013). While legislation is meant for the best chance at affording equitable access to education to all, at times the implementation is challenging and optimum performance towards the policy goal is only achieved when all the players take a conscious effort towards its implementation.
Policy has to be legitimate, even while well intentioned; all actions affecting education policy should follow the law of the land for them to take effect. Law is built to guide society in consideration of all its dynamics. In this regard, the United States education policy is modeled in a way that it adheres to the existing laws of the land. Policy that required the profiling of university applicants according to their racial background has fallen out of favor, while the intention was to achieve diversity in the universities; the policy violated the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title VI, prohibits discrimination based on race, color, or national origin. (Dye pg196, 2013). The states have taken action towards limiting the impact of these laws with the states of California, Texas and Florida for instance ending the racial preference in university and replacing it with plans based on students’ standings among graduates of their high schools. . (Dye pg197, 2013).
Works Cited
Dye, Thomas R. Understanding Public Policy. Boston: Pearson, 2013. Print.
