Courses in the City: U.S. Education Politics and Policy

Professor Lesley Lavery
City partner: Roseville Area School Board
Distance from campus: 6.2 miles

Course Description
This advanced research seminar explores the politics and policy of K-12 education in the United States. Several theoretical lenses are explored and competing perspectives are advanced. The workload will be intense, akin to a graduate level course. Students will compose a 20-25 page original research paper on an education topics of their choice.

What do you hope students will learn?
“I want students to understand how U.S. education governance works, why particular policy debates are contentious, and where they stand on important issues in the field.”

What project are you doing in the city?
“We attended a school board meeting. We also bring local experts into our classroom, including Mac alums conducting education policy research; state legislators who serve on education policy committees; school board members; education finance experts from the Minnesota Department of Education; experts from the state on the implementation of the Every Student Succeeds Act; leaders from local teachers’ unions; school choice proponents; and a law professor from St. Paul Public Schools’ integration task force and the NAACP.”

Aaron Woida ’22 (Milwaukee, Wis.)
Political science and international studies major with a human rights concentration

“I learned how divisive education policy is. There are sharp differences within political parties themselves, regarding issues such as curriculum, accountability, and charter schools. I asked members of the Minnesota legislature about this issue of divisiveness. They pointed out sharp disagreements among Democrats and among Republicans, regarding a recent proposal to amend the Minnesota constitution’s clause on public education. It was really interesting to get perspective firsthand from state lawmakers. I’m currently completing an internship with Advocates for Human Rights, in which I’m helping them design a human rights and conflict resolution curriculum for middle-schoolers. I’m hoping to integrate my experiences in this class with that experience.”