The Politics of Policymaking

Educators must shed their reluctance to "politic" and develop credibility with politicians so as to influence education policies. olicy making is an inherently political process. We easily accept this truism, but the most recent surge of education policy making has caught educators off guard Suddenly we are aware that the personal agendas, diverse perspectives, and compromises that characterize the politics of government are also true of the politics of education. We have long recognized the place of politics in the development of national education policy; we are now faced with numerous examples of politics in state and local education policy making. Under the influence of the Reagan Administration, policy initiative has shifted to the states. Long