RSF Journal Conference: The Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 at Fifty and Beyond

Since 1965, the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) has stood as the embodiment of American educational federalism. Although prior legislation paved the way for increased federal involvement in education, ESEA represented both a federal commitment to education and a national desire to provide equal educational opportunities to all children. The upcoming 50th anniversary of the ESEA provides an occasion to reflect upon the changes in federal education policy and in the social, political, economic, and educational landscapes over these 50 years, as well as an opportunity to consider the future trajectory of an evolving federal role in public education.

For an upcoming issue of the new RSF Journal, political scientists Douglas Reed and Kathryn McDermott, together with education specialist David Gamson, will organize a symposium featuring nine articles that aims to generate a rich understanding of the changes in institutions and policies of education and their ability to respond to historic changes in our economy and society. A key purpose of the conference is to develop novel analyses of ESEA by employing new disciplinary and methodological perspectives. Reed, McDermott and Gamson will serve as the guest editors for this special issue. Articles will examine four themes: 1) the role of class, race, and ethnicity in the analytical assumptions of ESEA, and education’s relationship to a changing U.S. economy; 2) the change over time in educational institutions and policies at the local, state and federal level and how that change is constrained by past policy choices; 3) the multiple ambitions of the federal role and how those ambitions are manifested in a complex and sometimes contradictory institutional framework at the federal level; and 4) the interactions of federal, state and local financing of schools and the ability of policymakers to direct resources to children in poverty.