The components of family policy education

Abstract

ABSTRACt. The study of family policy in the United States began relatively recently. The academic community increasingly has shown interest in this new policy arena. Much of the conceptual writing on family policy emerged from disciplines such as family studies, social work, political science, economics, and sociology. These academic units have recently modified their course curricula to include more family policy content. These family policy education efforts are discussed in this article. Specific suggestions are made concerning the development and content of family policy education, broader educational training for those who want to pursue a career in family policy, and future goals and directions for family policy education.

WritingAmicus Curiaeand Policy Briefs

“…The literature suggests that a multifaceted, "hands-on" kind of curriculum (as opposed to the passive lecture and exam approach) is the most effective way to create a course on public policy (Anderson & Skinner, 1995). These curricula take the policymaking process from the abstract to the practical, offering students the opportunity to learn by doing.…”

“…In order to give them a chance to succeed, they must also be provided with structure (e.g., examples; incremental due dates) and feedback to help them improve their performance (McKeachie, 1994;Tuckman, 2003). Anderson and Skinner (1995) note that a person beginning a career in social policy must have exceptional writing skills. "Policy writing is often different from the style learned by most students in writing term papers.…”

“…Debating has been suggested as an effective method in family policy classrooms (Anderson & Skinner, 1995). Keller and colleagues (2001) describe a child and family policy course for social work masters' students in which policy debating was the students' central project.…”

“…The steps include: identifying a problem; gathering information and research on the topic; generating a "perfect world" solution; formulating several possible realistic solutions; choosing one workable solution; constructing an action plan; and reflecting on the problem solving process. Other elements of family policy curricula devoted to active, contextual learning include: internships (Cohen et al, 1995), observing local government sessions, letter writing to public officials, working directly with community advocacy agencies, discussing family policy in current events (Anderson & Skinner, 1995), cooperative learning exercises and class discussion of case law (Henderson & Martin, 2002).…”

“…Many authors agree that the goals of such courses should include an increase in students' critical thinking skills, full engagement of students in the course content, and an increase in students' knowledge of course material (Endersby & Webber, 1995;Keller, Whittaker, & Burke, 2001), as well as an acknowledgement of the contextual nature of public policy (Anderson & Skinner, 1995;Boyd, 1989;Brunner, 1997). In addition, researchers agree that policy courses should go beyond the delivery of course material.…”