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Special Topics in Social Policy (351-0-21)

Topic

Organizational Perspectives on

Instructors

Xiao Bohannon

Meeting Info

Annenberg Hall 345: Mon, Wed 3:30PM - 4:50PM

Overview of class

Organizations such as schools, district offices, and state agencies are pervasive in education policy. They shape individual behaviors and support collective action, and both foster and hinder efforts at equity and justice.

In this course, we will integrate research, policy, and practice with the goal of gaining insights and tools for analyzing and transforming educational organizations to advance policy change. As an instructor, I will draw on my professional experience as a Policy Researcher at the National Opinion Research Center (NORC) at the University of Chicago and a Research Fellow at Chicago Public Schools.

During this course, we will engage with different organizational theories and perspectives for understanding educational organizations. We will also discuss how different policymakers, practitioners, researchers, and communities have used organizational ideas and tools in practice to advance policy change. Finally, we will analyze existing policies and design new policies for school districts, states, and other educational organizations.