Argument: Role of Government in Education
Based on your assigned readings for this week, choose one of the education stakeholders discussed
(school boards, unions, or government and testing companies). Develop an argument that evaluates the
function or purpose of the group you have selected. As you develop your response, address the following:
Is the function or purpose of the group necessary to improve public education? Defend your explanation.
- If so, explain what could be done to improve the function or purpose of the group?
- If not, explain who should take the place of the group and why? Justify your claims.
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Role of Government
The government is one of the most important stakeholders in the education sector.
Together with school boards, unions, and testing companies, they play specific roles in ensuring
that education runs smoothly and effectively. One of the most important roles that the
government plays in the regulation of teachers and the formulation of policies that are
implemented in education centers and schools. These policies offer a framework upon which
teachers; students, school boards, education investors and other stakeholders conduct their
operations regarding education.
Licensing of teachers is the government’s role as explained by Koonce, (2017). More
specifically, state departments of education carry out this role. The state approved colleges, and
university teacher preparation programs are the most common pathways to licensing (Koonce,
2017). The government achieves this by acting through policies, regulations, and accreditors like
the Council for the Accreditation of education Preparations (CAEP) who implement this policies
and regulations. CAEP is a blend between the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher
Education (NCATE) and the Teacher Education Accreditation Council (TEAC) (Koonce, 2017).
The government uses these councils to assist teacher preparation programs to help improve
academic programs.
The function and purpose of the government are necessary to improve public education
since they assist the teachers to get better earlier (Koonce, 2017) subsequently making them
stronger. Strong teachers make huge differences in student educational outcomes. Accreditation
by the government helps to improve teaching standards, policies, and principals. To improve
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government function in the education sector, measures have to be put in place to ensure
accountability and effective use of government resources. Corruption must be reduced and more
funds allocated to these programs. The role that the government plays in education cannot be
substituted or taken up by any other group, and it is, therefore, crucial to ensure that this
stakeholder fulfills the functions effectively.
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Reference
Koonce, G. L. (Ed.). (2017). Taking sides: Clashing views on educational issues – Expanded
(19th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill. ISBN: 978-1259883224
