Education Governance in Flux

Course Description

Summary

Using the newly approved Vermont Education Bill as a starting point, we will examine the changing needs and responses of both the government, and its public constituency, with regard to public education. How do governing bodies view the challenge of modernizing public education differently than the general public, and how are assets being newly allocated to respond to those challenges? Beyond the mechanics of this specific bill - we will strive to formulate provocative questions about what the debate over the bill suggests with regard to modern attitudes about education, its role in a democracy, and its function as part of the social contract. The class will involve reading and annotating the current bill, visits to public forums held to introduce the bill, and a few class discussions including Vermont State Senator Brian Campion.