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policy IS clear and amhiyity is avoided. Third. understand "not one size fib all.' and not all
communities \,;iluc the silme things. Finally, fund what you mandatl
Lisroi 10 f110 cdrrtnron. Because of the professional and intimate nature of reaching,
ps:stitio~~r~~ wanted, and believed they deserved a respectful hearing. Teachers didn't
-.ediicalor\ buy into stuff that gets malldated top down unless they hal7e a voice in deciding."
Teachers asked that designers (lawmakers) "stand in the shoes of the target and ask 'How
does this rulc affect me'?"' (Stone. 2002, p. 300). Allowing non-teaching private sector
profescionals to impact education mandates was an unthinkable act for many participants
askins that legisl:~tors "get out of the perception business and into the reality business." Much
of \\.hat had been mandated seemed so arbitrary to educators who "like knowing n.hat's going
on." According to Elmore ( 1979- 1980). "the closer one is to the source of the problem, the
greater one'\ ability to influence it: and the problem-solving ability of complex systems
depends not on hierarchical control but on maximizing discretion at the point where the
prohlc111 I \ IIIO\I 1111111cdii1te" ~p. 60.5). An elementw teacher added. "If it's important for me
10 111;lAc cl1;ln~c'r In n~\ clarwmm. n hn ir raying I need to make changes. why are they sayin:
I ncrd 10 11l;lhc ch:~nge\. ;~nd ;ire there change$ really beneficial to my students?" Cohen and
Hill (I(W)I I rt~cger~e~i policymakerc are often not \\re11 informed "about the effects of their
cnd~;~vor\: the\, m:ltc no attempt to learn sy