Rising state

Since the 1960s, federal and state governments have taken an increasing share of direction over schooling in the United States. This volume traces that shift and considers what it has meant for local communities, whose influence over education has steadily weakened as policymakers at higher levels have gained weight in deciding what schools do, how far their reach extends, and where they head.

Drawing on a range of leading national authorities, the chapters look at equity, the ways state policies differ from one another, how issues come to be placed on the agenda, and the growing nationalization of education policy. Together they assess which outcomes of expanding state power have worked and which have not.

Policymakers, teachers, administrators, parents, and the wider public are the intended readers. The book gives them a way to understand the centralization of American education and offers projections about where it may go next.