The everyday practice of policy

Abstract

Every day, music teachers interact with and act on policy. Sometimes these policies go unnoticed, while at other times, these policies challenge educators’ practices and beliefs. For example, policies that often go unnoticed, such as a bell schedule, may be ingrained in the expectations of the organization of a school. In contrast, a policy developed about teacher evaluation may change several times from the beginning to the end of a teaching career. Because of this, music teachers need not only knowledge about current policies but the skills and dispositions to learn about, evaluate, act on, and respond to policy throughout their careers.