Politicians and Education Policy

""Part research study, part political memoir, and part investigative journalism, this extraordinary book – the best first book by any author of policy, leadership or change I have read in my entire career – takes its readers right into the belly of the whale that is large scale educational reform. Instead of taking a gratuitous theoretical swipe at the dark arts of high politics, former Chief of Staff, Dr Sheridan Dudley, shows how ethical but canny Ministers of Education and their staffs can move the needle of educational policy forward by building relationships, staying close to schools, investing trust, and using soft powers of persuasion, without suffering fools or being taken for fools along the way. This is a remarkable book. Don’t miss out a single word."" Andy Hargreaves, Research Professor, Boston College ""Politicians and Education Policy pulls back the curtain to reveal the role of Ministers of Education and their staff in conceptualising, designing, and progressing large-scale education system reform in collaboration with government politicians and officials, and education stakeholders. Written by a former Chief of Staff to a Minister of Education, Sheridan Dudley’s book provides insightful and nuanced discussion of the complex interconnections between politics, policy, processes, and people in educational change. However, this book is not a memoir based on anecdotes, it is a carefully researched case study of the Local Schools, Local Decisions policy in New South Wales, Australia, from its inception by an Opposition education critic who became Minister of Education and led the tricky process to turn this into policy and practice. Helpfully, Sheridan Dudley uses her case study plus relevant international research to develop a new framework and guiding principles to inform Whole System Reform in education. This is a must-read book for current and aspiring Ministers of Education and for the people who work for, advocate to, engage with, or are affected by them and their decisions. Scholars of large-scale education system reform will also benefit from the treasure trove of evidence and detailed insights."" Carol Campbell, Professor, Head of Moray House School of Education and Sport, University of Edinburgh ""This is a wonderful book that provides not only rare insights into the education policy making process as part of the Local Schools, Local Decisions reform in NSW, Australia, but also delivers an insider account of the challenges of policy making in the minister’s office. At the risk of using a much-abused phrase, there is genuinely no other book like this. This book provides a truly new level of analysis that is of paramount importance if we want to advance education policy reform and system improvement. Whether one agrees or disagrees with the policy itself, the insights offered through this book are needed now more than ever for both policy makers and politicians, but also educators working to improve education systems more generally. Sheridan Dudley has produced a fascinating and immensely readable text that brings the reader inside the black box of education policymaking. This book must be on the reading lists of politicians, policy makers, educators, and researchers interested in how policy is developed and implemented at scale."" Richard Niesche, Associate Professor, School of Education, University of New South Wales ""This is the book all Ministers and their staff should read and keep a copy in their office."" Adrian Piccoli, former NSW Minister for Education