Political agendas in public education

Architects of education reform have consistently been individuals and organizations with political affiliations that lacked the necessary credentials to construct effective reform that would impact academia at a national level. Dichotomous perspectives on the idealized educational direction among political parties stimulated additional complications on reform platforms, lessening the likelihood of enhanced student outcomes. These disparities resulted in misguided and inconsistent messages as promoted with affiliated relationships between political campaigns and media outlets to the American public, as well as partnerships with private businesses and the promotion of charters and privatized education, and government-sponsored academic improvement organizations. This chapter examines the Stralek study regarding the relationships between six federal education initiatives (Elementary and Secondary Education Act, A Nation at Risk, America 2000, Goals 2000, No Child Left Behind, and Race to the Top) and the impacts of the reforms on the achievement gap. Comparativehistorical analysis was used to investigate the results of the six education reforms and the impacts on levels of student achievement data, specifically highlighting areas most commonly referenced within reforms and campaigns, the failing public schools that serve high populations of minorities, and low-income families.