When you finish studying this chapter, you should be able to:
- Distinguish between the local, state, and federal roles in public elementary
and secondary education.
- Contrast the powers and functions of local school boards, school superintendents,
school principals, and other district administrators.
- Analyze the reasons for school consolidation.
- Analyze the differences between community participation, community control,
and community education.
- Describe the role of the intermediate school district.
- Contrast the powers and functions of the state governor, state legislature,
state board of education, and chief state school officers.
- Describe the role and services of the U.S. Department of Education.
- Appraise the changing federal role in education.
- Describe the characteristics of nonpublic schools.
Focus and Refocus Questions:
When you finish studying this chapter, you should be able to answer the following
questions from your textbook:
Focus Questions
- How do local, state, and federal governments influence education?
- How does the local school board work with the district superintendent in
formulating school policy?
- Why have many school districts consolidated or decentralized?
- What are the different roles and responsibilities of the governor, state
legislature, state board of education, state department of education, and
chief state school officer in determining school policy?
- How has the federal role in education changed in recent years?
Refocus Questions
- What would be the ideal relationship between you, as a new teacher, and
the principal at your school? Do you think you would ever like to serve as
a principal?
- As you read newspapers and magazines and listen to news broadcasts, what
educational issues are being discussed at the local school district level,
the state level, and in Washington, D.C.? How do these issues affect the local
district in which you teach or have field experiences?
- Does your state have intermediate units or regional educational service
agencies? If it does, how do these intermediate units directly affect local
schools? Cite two examples.
- Talk to teachers and administrators in local schools. In what ways do they
see state board of education and state department of education policies affecting
the day-to-day functioning of schools? Do they see this impact as positive
or negative?
- How does No Child Left Behind affect you as a beginning teacher?
