Policy Stages The improvement of the education sector is one of the major priorities and focus of government officials in this sector and policymakers. The need to improve education has been characterized by numerous suggestions by various stakeholders as well as the public. Some of these proposals include spending more money on education, equitable distribution of educational resources, and more control over education policy (Almanac of Policy Issues, n.d.). The implementation of these proposals in order to improve education will basically require the development, implementation, and evaluation of policy. Actually, the process of enhancing education is extensive research and policy analysis (Center for Evaluation and Education Policy, n.d.). The process of developing a policy entails several stages in defining, analyzing, researching, funding, supporting or opposing, passing, and …show more content…
This is followed by evaluating whether there is need for a policy to address the problem or issue (McCall, 2010). The government begins to give more consideration to this issue during the agenda setting stage. The third stage in the policymaking process is policy formulation through addressing all policy issues generated in the early stages. This stage is usually characterized by a wide range of opinion involved early in the process and analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of existing programs, policies, services, and activities. Policy formulation also involves gathering facts and opinions through formal mechanisms and other measures (McCall, 2010). The most important issue to address during this stage is what the policy would accomplish if implemented. Notably, policy formulation involves various stakeholders including policy-planning organizations, state legislatures, interest groups, the Congress, and government