Policy & Practice
My first job out of UCLA after earning my bachelor's degree was for a jury research company. In that work, I helped design and conduct social science research studies as part of a process to help our clients (attorneys) make decisions such as how to argue a case and/or whether they should go to court or settle. I loved the work but wanted to utilize my skills to help solve some of the more challenging problems in society. Pursing a Master of Public Policy (MPP) at UCLA was my next step to achieve that goal.
After starting my MPP program, I had the chance to take a Social Welfare class that first semester. This gave me a taste of the frontline work social workers do in communities as well as some of the challenges faced by individuals and communities who are often underserved. With the support of a professor who eventually became my mentor and boss, I decided to pursue my MSW in addition to my MPP.
What I was trying to do (and have been trying to do ever since) is bridge the chasm that often exists between policy and practice. I recognized at the time that I'd be a better policy maker/analyst/researcher if I had a better grasp of the actual challenges in the field (and what frontline workers and their clients were dealing with), and I knew I'd be a better social worker if I could embrace and understand the implications of policy and research, as well as how to impact it.
What does any of this matter when talking about our schools? A lot. There can be such distance between what leaders or policymakers want to happen and what happens in practice. Policy implementation itself faces many barriers along the way. We might have a great idea that makes a lot of sense as a response or solution to a challenge, but it can be a challenge in itself to actually have it work the way those policymakers intend. I see many parallels between social workers and teachers in these scenarios.
Understanding the tensions between policy and practice can help large systems have a higher rate of success in seeing great ideas or policies put into action. Input from all the players in a system or program, involvement of experts, and looking to research and other examples of success in the field all can play a role. As someone who has been in the public education and social services realms for a long time, I relish reading research on a range of topics. In addition to learning from those with lived experience (as practitioners or clients), I utilize academic research, policy research, case studies, and first-person descriptions of programs or policies that may have had impact in a certain setting or on a specific issue.
I will likely share policy briefs and research studies and case studies and articles about various educational programs here and on my social media from time to time. In doing so, I am not necessarily advocating that our district should be utilizing a specific program. Rather, it is my way of building foundational knowledge on various topics and understanding the range of options on an issue. I share because I hope the information is interesting and educational for anyone else interested!