Written by a leading name in the field of educational policy, the third edition of Policy Studies for Educational Leaders once again encourages future educational leaders to be proactive rather than reactive, and equips them with an understanding of educational policy and the important political theories upon which policy is based. Coverage not only addresses theory, analysis, development, and implementation of educational policy, but also explores the reasons for change in educational policy, the ways to track its evolution, and the techniques for influencing its ultimate destination. The third edition of this comprehensive text has been updated to include the most recent educational policy current events and research. Chapter 12 now includes a lengthy discussion of the No Child Left Behind Act while Chapter 3 now includes new economic information that takes into account the expected downturn of the business cycle and the impact of the war in Iraq. The book also contains new research on implementers as learners as well as research on the challenges of scaling programs up from one or from a few sites to many. Other mainstay features of this text include end-of-chapter learning and review exercises; two appendices of URLs that aid students in locating policy information online; a new emphasis on policy on the state level; and a glossary that helps students understand the nomenclature of the of the educational policy field.