Reading Analysis

According to Tyack and Cuban, policy talk happens far more than actual change in educational practice. Policy talk, by definiton, is the diagnoses of problems and advocacy of solutions.
The second phase in educational reform is usually policy action, or the adoption of reforms-through state legislation, school board regulations, or decisions by other authorities. The third and slowest phase is implementation which just means putting the reforms into practice. Throughout history, calls for reforms have varied between asking for small changes to radical changes. History has shown that smaller changes had a much better chance of being implemented than those that were radical because the reforms calling for the smallest changes fit more readily into the existing structure.
A few of the changes that reformers have called for throughout history include: student-centered pedagogy, teacher-centered instruction, attention to academic or to practical knowledge, and centralized or decentralized governance of schools. A common complaint among reformers is that teachers sabotage innovation and in turn, teachers complain that there are no new ideas just old, recycled ideas.
There have been several times in our nations history when the calls for reform skyrocketed because of events such as Sputnik, and the Cold War. Also, in the near and distant past policy talk about education has stressed a struggle for national survival in international competition- with the Germans(1890s), Soviets(1950s), and Japanese(1980s). Conservative political climates favored policy with an emphasis on competition and quality, while liberal policy makers stressed an ideology of access and equality.
One of the reasons that there is so much conflict over how a school should be run is that many Americans do not agree on the needs that a school should meet. For example, many parents want their children to be socialized and taught to be obedient but also to be critical thinkers. Parents want their children to be educated with the best academic knowledge that the past has to offer, but they also want them to have marketable and practical skills as well. Parents want their children to have the ability to cooperate but they also want them to be competitive.
Some successful and universal reforms that no one really thinks about is indoor plumbing, central heating, and blackboards. Of course, we have marker boards and smart boards in most elementary school classrooms today instead of blackboards as the text mentioned.
In the past, policy implementation was largely based on who was talking. Professional educators such as superintendents and professors had a much better chance of getting their reforms implemented while "outsiders" had little chance of even being heard. Hopefully, now and in the future a more diverse group of people will be able to join in the discussion about how to make our schools the best that they can be for all of our children.