Are Local Policies Supporting Instruction Becoming Standardized?

The impact of school policy and stakeholders' actions on student learning: A longitudinal study

“…Despite the importance of policy development at the school level, the overall emphasis in the research literature has been focused on policy-making at the state and national levels (e.g., Cohen & Hill, 2001;Honig, 2006;Spillane, Reiser, & Reimer, 2002;Townsend, 2007). Less is known about the efforts of schools to create and implement policies to support improved student achievement (Datnow, 2006;Duke et al, 2008). As Lashway (2002) argues, much of the available literature consists of policy recommendations and opinions rather than empirical research and findings.…”

The Audacity to Teach

“…Applying this logic model, the epicenter of educational reform and improvement, particularly when student learning is the aim, rests with the teaching and learning interplay that occurs at the classroom level. Yet, Duke et al (2008) summate that research on multiple districts' policies to improve teaching and learning revealed little relationship to classroom practice, in part because "their [i.e., the districts'] tools and mandates were not informed by school level expertise and were not accompanied by the kind of support and capacity building necessary to at Imperial College London Library on June 4, 2016 uex.sagepub.com Downloaded from change instruction" (p. 3). However, looking beyond the specific effects of policy itself and inward toward the classroom context, Easley (2011) explains that the learning needs of students lie at the core of pedagogical capacity for teachers' to engage in TLIs.…”