Daniel P. Tuite, MPA
Rutgers University SPAA
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Public Policy
"There is an indissoluble union between a magnanimous policy and the solid rewards of public prosperity and felicity."
- George Washington -
Public Policy Process
Public Education Policy
Effective public policy is the foundation of an equitable and well-ordered civic society. Public policies should be crafted and implemented with the best of intentions and for the benefit of the greater good. Sometimes policies are not developed with these intentions or good policies become ineffective which can lead to policy failure. Public policy failures should be pinpointed and addressed immediately in order to prevent suffering or hardship. One such public policy failure concerns the growing issue of School Lunch Debt. Over 75% of public-school districts in the US report some level of school lunch debt annually. This growing problem is going mostly unaddressed and causing hardship for countless underprivileged students and their families. The attached policy memorandum explores this public policy failure and offers some possible policy alternatives in the form of an outcomes matrix. This memo was prepared for the Spring 2020 Public Policy Process course. The video is the corresponding presentation to the memo.
One of the largest and most ubiquitous elements of the public sector is Public Education. As a fundamental right and public service, public education is an integral aspect of the wider public policy process. Governments and municipalities at all levels are involved in education policy in the form of standards, mandates, and budgets. Discussions and policies surrounding public education are vast and diverse. Understanding the elements and underpinnings of these discussions is an important step in understanding the wider view of public policy. One of the principal policy discussions regarding public education over the last few decades concerns the role and place of Charter schools. Since the inception of the first charter school in 1992, debate has raged over the benefit of charter schools and how they positively or negatively impact public education writ large. The attached document is a literature review which highlights some of the findings of studies focusing on the relationship of charter schools to public education and their impact on traditional public schools. Special focus is placed on the charter school system in New York City. This literature review was prepared for the Spring 2020 Applied Research Design course.