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Chapter One
Politics and Education
Chapter one deals with the close relationship between politics and education. The chapter examines the issues from a political, educator, parent and student standpoints. On a political level, the book asserts that local-governments have little control over education. Many local governments rely on their state for funding and state governments mandate competency testing. On the federal level, “[m]ost presidential elections in the United States, for instance, emphasize education as a major issue. (Aldridge, 2007) Education is a hot topic of debate for conservatives and liberals, however, conservative reasoning has provided much of the basis for school reform for decades. Educators face huge challenges. They have to not only think about the ‘purpose’ of their school, but also how they will transition into the 21st century, and also how they will deal with the new millennium. On top of that, teachers have to deal with policies and initiatives such as Goals 2000, the New Freedom Initiative, and No Child Left Behind. As for the students, they are the ones most deeply impacted by the relationship between politics and education. When politicians decide not to decrease class size or to lower educational standards, the students are the ones who suffer. Parents, especially those of minority students, need to seek out educational alternatives and play a bigger part in their children’s education.
When looking into the questions at the end of the chapter, I found that politics have a major impact on my local school system. As a tax-payer, former student, parent, and future education in this community, I feel that I can play a role in educational reform and make a difference in my community.



Chapter Two
Changing Demographics and Diversity
Chapter two deals with changing demographics and diversity in education. The chapter begins with a breakdown of the U.S....