Reference no: EM132597447

The Decentralization of Education

One of the key areas of modern public policy that has been most delegated to states and local governments are education. Unlike many Western European nations where educational decisions are made almost exclusively by the central government, in the United States local school boards have enormous flexibility in devising education policy.

Analyze the current decentralization of education policy. Has education policy in the United States produced a system that has equipped workers for a modern knowledge-based economy? Discuss any challenges facing American education that originate with state and local governments.

Imagine that you have the power to reconstruct the relationship between local governments, state governments, and the federal government concerning elementary and secondary education. Discuss the possibilities, both pro and con, of maintaining the current system of devolving power to local governments.

Analyze the pros and cons of centralizing the education policy within the federal government and include why this would or would not be more successful than a decentralized system.

Regardless of your perspective on this issue, analyze the challenges and opportunities presented to local governments as they develop education policy to equip students with the skills required to compete in the global economy.

Analyze ways the federal government can assist local governments in producing better education policy.