4 answers
Sophie
Student
Carlsbad, California
1
Question
Asked
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What does a career in Educational Policy entail/look like?
I am majoring in Early Childhood Education in the fall but would like to focus on policy/government aspects. What types of careers work in this area of education? #teaching #education #college #career #policy
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4 answers
Denise Eichelberger
Data Analytics
1
Answer
Irvine, California
Updated
Denise’s Answer
Do you have an idea of what type of policy you would like to focus on? You can think about it from a local-school district level, city level, state or federal level...so many options. Let me know a little more about your interests to help think about opportunities.
Justine Brunett
ESL Teacher
3
Answers
Memphis, Tennessee
Updated
Justine’s Answer
Hello Sophie!
As a current middle school ESL teacher, I would strongly encourage you to spend at least a few years in the classroom before you go into education policy. Teaching gives you an on-the-ground perspective about how policies affect both teachers and students. For example, as you probably know, federally mandated standardized tests are an integral part of our current accountability-driven education policy. I see every day the stress this puts on students and educators and how it stifles creativity in the classroom. Too many education policies are made by people who have never stood in front of a classroom of children and, despite their possibly good intentions, do not understand the impact of their policies on those children. Become a teacher first, then go make change based on what you learned!
As a current middle school ESL teacher, I would strongly encourage you to spend at least a few years in the classroom before you go into education policy. Teaching gives you an on-the-ground perspective about how policies affect both teachers and students. For example, as you probably know, federally mandated standardized tests are an integral part of our current accountability-driven education policy. I see every day the stress this puts on students and educators and how it stifles creativity in the classroom. Too many education policies are made by people who have never stood in front of a classroom of children and, despite their possibly good intentions, do not understand the impact of their policies on those children. Become a teacher first, then go make change based on what you learned!
I am hoping to teach fifth grade so this is part of my career plan, thank you!
Sophie
Yay! It's really difficult but so rewarding.
Justine Brunett
Theresa Mai
Researcher and Policy Wonk
7
Answers
Corvallis, Oregon
Updated
Theresa’s Answer
Like you, I am a college student wanting to be in educational policy in some way! If we get to know your interests like Denise said, we can help you much better.
Looking at the field of educational policy, it is focused on the creation, development, evaluation, and implementation of educational policies.
One type of career is research! After all, how else do we create, develop, and evaluate our policies? For policy analysts, they focus on developing and evaluating policies within the realm of education, from the effectiveness of a peer mentoring program to the creation of a new policy. You can also be a manager of policy analysts. In this kind of position, you get to also bring the ideas your team created and bring it up to your fellow leaders. These leaders can be U.S. senators, representatives, governors, agency heads, and more. On the research side, you can work for essentially any sector, from private to nonprofits.
Another side of educational policy is the administration side or the implementation focus. Common job examples include education specialists, U.S. representatives, school superintendents, college deans, and much more. There are also other ways to get involved besides research and administration! You can be a graphic designer, a communications professional, and a campaign organizer as just a few examples.
Looking at the field of educational policy, it is focused on the creation, development, evaluation, and implementation of educational policies.
One type of career is research! After all, how else do we create, develop, and evaluate our policies? For policy analysts, they focus on developing and evaluating policies within the realm of education, from the effectiveness of a peer mentoring program to the creation of a new policy. You can also be a manager of policy analysts. In this kind of position, you get to also bring the ideas your team created and bring it up to your fellow leaders. These leaders can be U.S. senators, representatives, governors, agency heads, and more. On the research side, you can work for essentially any sector, from private to nonprofits.
Another side of educational policy is the administration side or the implementation focus. Common job examples include education specialists, U.S. representatives, school superintendents, college deans, and much more. There are also other ways to get involved besides research and administration! You can be a graphic designer, a communications professional, and a campaign organizer as just a few examples.
Thank you so much, this post was so helpful and cleared up a lot of my questions
Sophie
Natasha Bastien
Consulting
64
Answers
Rockville, Maryland
Updated
Natasha’s Answer
Hi Sophie,
Here are some links to review in order to inform your approach to this field/sector:
Among them, the think tanks Brookings Institution, American Enterprise Institute and Cato Institute, all of which invite a lot of experts in the field to inform policy makers and the larger public. Please spend a lot of time learning from these resources (panels, webcasts, podcasts, reports, articles, books, etc). These resources will complement your foundation for a career outlook in education policy. You can access them online no matter where you decide to study. Milken Family Foundation is affiliated with Milken Institute and is based on the West Coast, with programs/initiatives at a couple of universities as well (see link).
Brookings: Brown Center on Education Policy
https://www.brookings.edu/center/brown-center-on-education-policy/
AEI: Ed Policy
https://www.aei.org/policy-areas/education/
Cato: Education and Child Policy
https://www.cato.org/research/education-child-policy
Milken Family Foundation:
https://www.mff.org/initiatives/
https://www.mff.org/initiatives/affiliated-organizations/niet/
https://www.mff.org/initiatives/affiliated-organizations/milken-institute/
I hope this was helpful.
Good Luck and Stay Well,
Natasha
Here are some links to review in order to inform your approach to this field/sector:
Among them, the think tanks Brookings Institution, American Enterprise Institute and Cato Institute, all of which invite a lot of experts in the field to inform policy makers and the larger public. Please spend a lot of time learning from these resources (panels, webcasts, podcasts, reports, articles, books, etc). These resources will complement your foundation for a career outlook in education policy. You can access them online no matter where you decide to study. Milken Family Foundation is affiliated with Milken Institute and is based on the West Coast, with programs/initiatives at a couple of universities as well (see link).
Brookings: Brown Center on Education Policy
https://www.brookings.edu/center/brown-center-on-education-policy/
AEI: Ed Policy
https://www.aei.org/policy-areas/education/
Cato: Education and Child Policy
https://www.cato.org/research/education-child-policy
Milken Family Foundation:
https://www.mff.org/initiatives/
https://www.mff.org/initiatives/affiliated-organizations/niet/
https://www.mff.org/initiatives/affiliated-organizations/milken-institute/
I hope this was helpful.
Good Luck and Stay Well,
Natasha