Assignment:
Read Savage Inequalities or Push.
Write a three-page paper (double spaced) reacting to either Push or Savage Inequalities, and evaluate the book in terms of the concepts we have learned in the class. Include information from (federalism), (bureaucracy), and/or (social welfare policy). An example for either book would be the effect of large class sizes on learning.
Many topics could be examined based on which level of government (state or federal) should be in charge, for example, education, welfare, or criminal justice.
Rule of thumb: write about a page and a half about what happened in the book and what you feel about it. In the last half of your paper, discuss how the book relates to the chapters in the textbook.
Specific questions to address in your paper:
1. Which level of government, state or federal, is better at addressing issues in education?
2. What factors contribute to the success of a bureaucracy?
3. One of the important pieces of the Welfare Reform Act is support for education as a way to "transform" people who are on it. Do you think this a good approach?