Aligning and Supporting Policy Development
The decisions of policymakers in the statehouses affect the teaching
and learning in the schoolhouses. During the Regional
Educational Laboratory contract for FY1996–2000, SEDL’s
State Policy Planning Service conducted research and provided information
services to policymakers so they could make informed decisions based
on research and practice.
Research
SEDL’s policy research focused on the following school reform
strategies as they played out in selected states and local districts:
resource allocation in local districts, teacher mentoring, policymaker
participation in community dialogues on education reform, and the
charter school as a policy instrument affecting school-site influence
over education reform. The topics, which are critical to state and
local decision-makers, also provided the foundation for some of
SEDL’s current policy work.
Resource allocation
One such study is SEDL’s examination of district-level resource
allocation. Researchers compared resource allocation patterns among
low-, mid-, and high-performing districts in Texas to determine
what those patterns reveal about the relationship between resource
allocation and student performance. SEDL’s preliminary study
findings of the are reported in “Resource
Allocation Practices and Student Achievement: An Examination of
District Expenditures by Performance Level with Interviews from
Twenty-One Districts.” That work established the foundation
for SEDL’s current policy study on district resource allocation
in the Southwestern Region.
Teacher mentoring
SEDL also conducted a descriptive study of school site programs
that provide teacher mentoring. Staff conducted in-depth studies
of three district programs (urban, suburban, and rural) established
in response to an unfunded state mandate stipulating that districts
provide mentoring for new teachers. SEDL’s findings are available
in “Mentoring Beginning
Teachers: Lessons from the Experience in Texas.”
Policymaker participation in community dialogues on education
reform
SEDL examined study circles, one public engagement model, and how
they might more closely link policymakers and their constituents.
SEDL staff worked with two statewide organizations, Arkansas Friends
for Better Schools and the Oklahoma League of Women Voters, to organize
and conduct study circles about education reform in 15 communities
across both states. SEDL researchers examined the role that public
engagement played in assisting policymakers to establish closer
ties to their constituents. Approximately 875 citizens, including
20 policymakers, participated in study circles in Arkansas and Oklahoma.
“Calling the Roll:
Study Circles for Better Schools policy research report”
discusses the research findings. SEDL also produced other products
to assist educators and community representatives interested in
using study circles. The “Calling
the Roll: Study Circles for Better Schools” video tells
the story of policymakers and community members exchanging ideas
about education policy. Two complementary guides, one designed for
community representatives and the other for policymakers, are Making
the Most of the Connection: A Guide to Involving Policymakers in
a Community Dialogue on Education and Making the Most of
the Connection: A Policymaker’s Guide to Participating in a
Community Dialogue on Education.
Charter schools
SEDL's work on charters, a unique policy instrument for increasing
school-site control over education reform, examined the establishment
and design of charter schools in Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico,
Oklahoma, and Texas. SEDL produced three papers on charter school
efforts: “Redefining
Education Governance: The Charter School Concept,” “Variations
on Autonomy: Charter School Laws in the Southwestern Region,”
and “Designs for School-Site
Reform: Charter Schools in New Mexico and Texas.”
Policy information services
SEDL's State Policy Planning Service provided information services
to state policymakers and key staff analysts in Arkansas, Louisiana,
New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas. During the FY1996–2000 contract,
SEDL responded to 155 information requests from policymakers and
analysts. In addition, SEDL regularly convened a regional policy
network consisting of education policy analysts from legislative
committees, governors’ offices, and departments of education
in the five states. That network exchanged information on common
interests, such as accountability, teacher compensation, teacher
shortages, school facilities, and the effect of welfare reform on
education. SEDL also produces a policy briefing series, Insights
on Education Policy, Practice, and Research, that addresses
topics of interest to network members.
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