New Public Policy Minor Course Winter Term (16W)

Professor Charlie Wheelan will be teaching Education 20: Educational Issues in Contemporary Society (10A) this coming winter term (16W). This course can count towards the public policy minor and will be of particular interest to those students studying the interplay of education and public policy.

This course gives students a critical introduction to the public institution they know best – the American school. As Professor Wheelan points out, “[Students] have already spent at least twelve years ‘studying’ schools from the inside, though [they] have probably only considered a small piece of the broader education system.”
Professor Charlie Wheelan will be teaching Education 20: Educational Issues in Contemporary Society in the winter.
Public schools are one of the most important public policy levers for shaping society. In this course, students will examine the history and structure of public education in America. They will also study myriad topics related to creating “better schools”: recruiting and training teachers; charter schools and related institutional innovations; testing and accountability; school funding; racial and economic segregation.

Overall, the course will explore how public education can contribute to a more informed, prosperous, and fair society.