Effective Implementation In Practice: Integrating Public Policy and Management

Chapter SixFront Lines

The front lines of policy and program implementation are quite important and distinct from the other levels in the system. Think about your own diverse experiences as someone who has benefited from public policy. What was it like to sit in an eighth-grade classroom in a public or a private school? Although you didn't know it then, if you were in a public school, public policies and programs shaped the math curriculum, size and condition of the classroom, teacher training, compensation, performance assessment, and availability of electives such as physical education and art. If you attended a private charter school, many of these elements were spelled out in a contract between the nonprofit chartered organization and ...