ABSTRACT
Like the world of politics itself, the world of literacy policy is constantly changing. In addition to the shifts that come with changes in administration at the national, state, and local levels, there are shifts in attention so that one day early reading is a target of concern and legislation and days or weeks later, due to a single incident, the prime concern is high-school safety. Shifts can occur because of international incidents, domestic disasters, and scandals. Th e world of politics is a world with a short attention span and shifting priorities. Consequently, it is sometimes diffi cult to discern patterns and trends. Th is chapter will examine two recent pieces of legislation that illustrate how policy can shift over a relatively short time and what activities were eff ective or ineff ective in infl uencing policy. Th e legislation addresses reading education but the lessons may be applied to a range of literacy-related issues.
