Education policy and reform have a major influence on politics in Columbia, Maryland. From teacher shortages to school reform plan funding, the state is taking steps to ensure that students have access to the best education possible. To this end, the Department of Educational Policy and Social Analysis at Teachers College, as well as the Departments of Political Science and the Columbia School of Public and International Affairs, are all resources available to students. Doctorates in Politics and Education teach at universities, carry out research in think tanks and research centers, and advise public officials.
Students must understand the discipline of political science, as well as the specialty of politics in education. In 2001, Achieve responded to a request from the state superintendent for an external review of Maryland's education reform initiatives. The Cultivate Your Own Bill program was created to help recruit educators to teach in their own communities and assist those who aspire to be teachers in different areas. This includes offering scholarships or helping to create partnerships with schools. Urban school districts, which often have high concentrations of students at risk of school failure, are at the forefront of the challenge of defining and ensuring equity, and many have also been pioneers in school reform. Students with a master's degree in Politics and Education can conduct research in educational policy study centers and workshops, teach politics, history, or civic education in high school, hold public office or other leadership positions on the program's website (not certified) in educational settings as diverse as public and private schools, companies, citizen groups, and foundations.
The balance between control and cooperation, the creation of alliances and competition, resistance and negotiation in each of these environments, as well as the central roles of power and agency in political science, inform the perspectives of the teachers and students of this program. The New Jersey court ruled that the state had breached its constitutional obligation to provide a “complete and efficient education” to students in poor urban school districts. However, it is important to recognize that market-driven reforms can pose serious downside risks for some communities when it comes to complex school and education policy. Other education-related bills awaiting signature now include an update to the Maryland State School Health Services guidelines on anaphylactic food allergies and for local school boards to disclose the foods served in schools, as well as the main allergens they contain; and one that requires public schools to disclose information to students, staff, and parents about Title IX coordinators and the processes and supports established for those who submit allegations of sexual misconduct. In each case, reformers have emphasized data-driven decision-making and have structured systems of accountability around measures of school and student performance.
