Review for Exam #3

Hi, everyone!  This thread will serve as a review for exam #3 (I'll go over this review in class on Monday as well).  Exam #3 takes place in class on Wednesday, November 20.  It will be of similar format to exam #1 & exam #2.  You simply need to bring pen and photo ID.

To prepare for the exam, you should read through the blog assignments on the choosing judges and the structure of local government.  You should be familiar with my post, the articles I link to, and the comments of your colleagues.  In terms of material covered in class, you should be familiar with all of the material on the courts and local government, (from the fourth set of lecture notes) tax policy (the fifth set of lecture notes), and education policy (the sixth set).  All sets of lecture notes were distributed in class and are also on the blog. Specifically, from class, you should be familiar with:
1.  the different methods for choosing judges, including their advantages and disadvantages.
2.  the different structures for local government, including their advantages and disadvantages.
3.  the different expectations that people have for local government.
4.  how college towns are different from other cities.
5.  the role of NIMBY and PPIMBY issues.
6.  the difference between progressive, proportional, and regressive taxes, including which taxes fall into which categories, and why some states have less regressive tax systems than do others.
7.  the arguments for and against school choice,
8.  the arguments for and against the equalization of school funding between districts (counties, in many cases) and between states.
9.  the arguments for and against the increased use of standardized testing.
10. the reasons why it is more difficult to fund higher education than elementary and secondary education,

 I will have my usual office hours on Wednesday, in case you want to ask questions.  You can also email them to me at the email address on the syllabus.  Finally, you can use the comments section on this thread for questions.  You'll then be able to ask your questions on the blog and read my answers to questions from other students in the class.  Email and blog questions are due by 9 pm on Tuesday, November 19.  Good luck!

lecture notes #6

POLS 220

N BERCH

FALL 2013

 

Education Policy

 

I.                    School Choice

a.       Works through voucher system—often includes choice of public school and partial subsidy of private school

b.      Arguments for:

                                                                                      i.      Promotes innovation

                                                                                    ii.      Gives poor kids access to better schools—the rich already have “school choice”

                                                                                  iii.      May bring about specialized schools that suit individual students better

c.       Arguments against:

                                                                                      i.      Rural students wouldn’t benefit (some rural areas can only support one school, no choice)

                                                                                    ii.      Raises cost of information about schools; rich and more educated will make better picks.

                                                                                  iii.      Inclusion of parochial schools may raise 1^st amendment issues

                                                                                   iv.      Who pays transportation costs?

                                                                                     v.      Is specialization at such an early age a good idea?

                                                                                   vi.      Could resegregate metropolitan schools

                                                                                 vii.      Test scores show mixed results

II.                  Equalization of funding

a.       Arguments for:

                                                                                      i.      Legal:  some states have constitutions that require equal access to education, but some districts within a state spend 2-3 as much per student as do others.

                                                                                    ii.      Moral:  should where you live affect the kind of education you get?

b.      Arguments against:

                                                                                      i.      If you are willing to spend more money to buy a house and pay taxes in a good school district, why should you not be allowed to do it?

                                                                                    ii.      Equalization plans generally lower the ceiling rather than raise the floor.

c.       What about equalizing funding between states?  Is this different?

III.                Standardized testing

a.       Has increased dramatically due in part to No Child Left Behind

b.      Mostly used to evaluate schools and teachers, but now also being used to certify students for graduation

c.       Can provide measurements that help parents with school choice

d.      Generally doesn’t compare cohorts of students properly

e.      Teaching to the test

f.        Takes away from instructional time

g.       Cheating by schools and teachers

h.      Sometimes used to place students in tracks

IV.                Higher education funding

a.       Declining in many states

b.      Harder to justify to public and legislature

                                                                                      i.      Why subsidize when those who go to college benefit financially?

                                                                                    ii.      Unlike elementary and secondary education, a sizeable portion of the population (more in some states) doesn’t go to college

                                                                                  iii.      Of those who do, some go out-of-state or to private colleges

                                                                                   iv.      People don’t want to subsidize out-of-state students who come to their state for college.

 

Blog Assignment Due November 18

Reminders: 
1.  Exam #3 takes place in class on Wednesday, November 20.  It will cover all material since exam #2, and it will have the same format as the previous exams.  A review will posted over the weekend, and we will do a review session on Monday, November 18 (during class).
2.  There will be no class on Friday, November 22, as I will be out of town on University business.
3.  Please remember that your projects are due in class on Monday, December 2.  Don't wait until the last minute!
4.  Also, remember that the final exam for this class is Tuesday, December 17, from 7:00 to 9:00 pm.  Believe me:  I didn't pick that slot, but if I have to suffer with it, so do you!

Finally, on to the assignment (it's largely a gift).  You can have two of the three points for this blog assignment just by signing your name by the deadline (Monday, November 18, at 1 pm).  To get the third point, you need to ask a question about state and local government and/or politics that hasn't been answered yet in the class (you should not duplicate questions asked by colleagues who respond more quickly than you do).  I will perhaps answer some of these on the blog and some of them during our review during the week of December 2.  Good luck!--NB