Education Policy

Education policy is a central part of the policy agenda. This chapter explains education policy by using policy models, identifies major participants in education policy, and discusses the post-World War II history of education policy in the United States. It also discusses major education reforms and major policies related to education equity. President George W. Bush came into office in 2001 on a campaign platform advocating the privatization of elementary and secondary education and the use of vouchers to create a form of equality within school choice. President Barack Obama worked to pass the Every Student Succeeds Act, but much of the law has been eviscerated by President Trump’s education policies and the One Big Beautiful Bill. The educational voucher system is possibly the most revolutionary market-based privatization innovation, buoyed along by growing parental support for private school options.