Education Policy Perils: Tackling the Tough Issues

Local control is one of the traditional virtues of American public education credited for delivering the prosperity the nation has enjoyed for decades (Goldin, 2008). However this virtue has been eroded gradually over the years.

Today local education decisions are directly affected by policies and policy recommendations from the outside—at the state, national, and sometimes even international level.

As a result, education leaders live in a much more complex policy environment than ever before. They not only have to work with the local community but also must interpret and implement policies made beyond their control, which may or may not be consistent with the culture and traditions of their local communities.