Policy Analysis Archive

EDUC870 Education Policy: Process, Context & Politics.Election 2004: Candidates' Position on Education Submitted by Barbara Baisley, Megan Garnett, Larry Schaefer, and Cheryl Temple, George Mason University (April 30, 2004)

Summary: This ia a comparison of the Presidential frontrunners for the Republican, Democratic, and Green political parties and was prepared by the Mason graduate students, named above, in EDUC 870, Education Policy: Process, Context and Politics during the Spring 2004 semester . The focus of this site is exclusively on the candidates positions on educational policies and issues.

Analysis of Congressional Proposals to Reauthorize HEA, Title II
Penelope M. Earley, George Mason University (November, 2003)

Summary: In preparation for reauthorization of the Higher Education (HEA) in 2004-05 legislation has been passed in the House (HR 2211) to revise the teacher education accountability provisions in Title II of that law. A bill was recently introduced by Senator Ted Kennedy (D-MA) to reauthorize all of HEA and he also proposes extensive changes to Title II (S.1793). Although these bills are pending in the Congress, HEA reauthorization is a lengthy process that is unlikely to be completed in 2004.

Analysis of the Secretary of Education's 2003 Report on Teacher Quality: It's Déjà vu All Over Again
Penelope M. Earley, George Mason University (December, 2003)

Summary: This report looks at the Secretary of Education's second report to Congress on the quality of teacher education. It is designed to provide a critical look at how the Higher Education Act, Title II data reporting system and how the information available for decision makers from that system have been interpreted. The analysis concludes with a series of questions that should guide members of Congress as they consider options to reauthorize the Higher Education Act or otherwise impose legislative solutions to supposed teacher education weaknesses.

Title II of the Higher Education Act Revisited and Reconsidered - An Analysis of the Secretary of Education's 2002 Report on Teacher Quality
Penelope M. Earley, George Mason University (October, 2002)

Summary: This analysis first reviews the policy context during which the Higher Education Amendments of 1998 were debated and enacted. The requirements in HEA, Title II and the accompanying House and Senate Conference report are then detailed, followed by consideration of how the U.S. Department of Education attempted to create a consistent data set from the Title II reports. From this analysis, problems with the law and its subsequent interpretation are put forward as explanations for the lack of useful data to inform national policy. Finally, data from Title II reports submitted to the U.S. Department by 32 states (www.title2.org) are reviewed.