"The State of Education Policy Research "is a comprehensive, insightful evaluation of the strengths and weaknesses of education policy research in the U.S. today. Editors Susan Fuhrman, David Cohen, and Fritz Mosher examine key issues facing policymakers and researchers including race, education equity, teacher quality, early education, privatization, and the politics of education policy. Collectively, the chapters present a complex mosaic of education policy research that integrates the views of policy experts from education, economics, and related disciplines. Important topics discussed in this influential new text include:

Politics of education-- Covers research on key political groups including teachers' unions, business roundtables, parent and/or religious advocates, as well as state and federal lawmakers.

Race-- Discusses race as an issue as well as a non-issue and includes a discussion of the testing gap.

State policies-- Provides an overview of state policies directed at improving teacher quality and discusses the reality of a teacher shortage.

National Trends-- Analyzes current trends toward centralization and standardization and the growing influence of federal and state mandates.

This book is appropriate for advanced courses in education administration, politics, and policy. It will also appeal to policy researchers in education, economics, and political science, to policy makers at the federal, state, and local levels and to the academic libraries serving them.