Press

RELEASE: Expanding the Federal Role in Education from Bush to Obama

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September 25, 2018

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: CAMBRIDGE, MA, (September 25, 2018) — In the just-released book, Bush-Obama School Reform, AEI’s Director of Education Policy Studies Frederick Hess and a diverse group of scholars examine the shifting federal role in education across the presidential administrations of George W. Bush and Barack Obama. While the administrations were vastly different, one thing remained constant: an ongoing and significant expansion of the federal role in education.

Many of the key principles underlying federal reform remained consistent over the two administrations: an emphasis on standards and test-based accountability; teacher quality as measured by test scores; school choice; and the importance of research in evaluating improvement initiatives. Rather than evaluating the merits of particular reforms, the book’s contributors look at how federal involvement shaped the ways these initiatives were taken up—and by whom—as well as the sources and contours of political resistance.

By examining the federal role in education across two such administrations and over a sustained period of time, Bush-Obama School Reform offers a wealth of insight into the factors that support or constrain an expanded federal role in a range of education reforms.

Advanced reviews of Bush-Obama School Reform:

  • The best policy is designed for the future with a deep appreciation for what the past has taught. Bush-Obama School Reform, the first scholarly compendium of lessons from sixteen of the most active and activist years in education policy, launches a critical discussion.—Joanne Weiss, president, Weiss Associates, former chief of staff to US Education Secretary Arne Duncan, and former director, Race to the Top Program
    • These smart essays deftly explore the paradoxes, ironies, lessons, ambitions, brands, victories, and defeats of education reform at the federal level. The book serves as a cautionary tale of ‘policy windows’ that open wide nationally and the forces that slam them shut, and offers lessons for the next generation of education wonks. —Stefanie Sanford, chief, Global Policy and External Relations, The College Board
    To arrange an interview with Frederick Hess, or for a copy of the book, please contact Phoebe Keller at [email protected] or 202.419.5216.