Policy Boundaries: When Are “Subject-Neutral” Policies Relevant to Mathematics?

• In Event: Curricular Policy Development and Implementation: Understanding State and Local Dynamics and Their Implications

Abstract

Policy boundaries are important because they legitimize certain topics as appropriate for schools, while excluding other topics. This multi-case study of two school districts examines the policy boundaries educational leaders construct that demarcate the policy issues relevant and not relevant to mathematics education. Drawing upon interviews with district leaders, observations of policymaking, and collection of artifacts, I found that meanings about school mathematics—mathematics as a core, sequential, and defined subject, and equity in mathematics as access and achievement—rendered some subject-neutral policies relevant to mathematics, while excluding others (including equity-minded efforts). These findings show how even seemingly subject-neutral policies are sensitive to the school subject, and the ways in which meanings about subject-matter act as a context for policymaking.

Author

• Phi Nguyen, University of Illinois at Chicago