Write a 350- to 700-word paper in which you do the following:
• Identify basic structures involved in educational environments that were contained in this week’s readings. ( included the reading)
• Explain how these environmental structures have impacted your (1) personal, (2) educational, and (3) career goals.

Executive summary
This literature review provides an in-depth analysis of the concept of education policy implementation, its definitions, processes and determinants and proposes a framework for analysis and action. It aims to clarify what education policy implementation entails in complex education systems and support policy work building on the literature and country examples. The paper centres on school education. It specifically focuses on answering two questions: what does education policy implementation entail in theory and in practice? What are the determinants involved in the process of education policy implementation?
Education policy implementation is a complex, evolving process that involves many stakeholders and can result in failure if not well targeted. In fact, a range of reasons can prevent implementation from being effective, such as a lack of focus on the implementation processes when defining policies at the system level; a lack of recognition that the core of change processes require engaging people; and the fact that implementation processes need to be revised to adapt to new complex governance systems. It is therefore crucial to understand it, clarify its determinants and explore ways in which it can be more transparent and effective.
Education policy implementation does not only refer to the strict implementation process but needs to be seen in its broader context. Following an analysis of the range of definitions and frameworks on the topic, this paper defines education policy implementation as a purposeful and multidirectional change process aiming to put a specific policy into practice and which may affect an education system on several levels:

• Implementation is purposeful to the extent that the process is supposed to change education according to some policy objectives.
• It is multidirectional because it can be influenced by actors at various points of the education system.
• It is contextualised in that institutions and societal shocks and trends -i.e.in culture, demography, politics and economy- affect the education system and the ways in which a policy is shaped and translates in the education sector.
  But to make it more concrete and valuable for policy makers, it is necessary to take this definition and make it more actionable, by analysing the range of determinants that hinder or facilitate the implementation process. From the analysis, this paper proposes a generic framework (Figure 1) shaping determinants around four dimensions, each of which should be taken into account for education policy implementation effectiveness:
• Smart policy design: a policy that is well justified, offers a logical and feasible solution to the policy problem, will determine to a great extent whether it can be implemented and how. For instance, if a new curriculum requires the use of high technology equipment which schools cannot afford, the policy may fail to be implemented unless some budget is available at the national or local level.
• Inclusive stakeholder engagement: Whether and how key stakeholders are recognised and included in the implementation process is crucial to its effectiveness. For example, engaging teacher unions in discussions early on in the policy process will have long-term benefits.
• A conducive institutional, policy and societal context: An effective policy implementation process recognises the existing policy environment, the educational governance and institutional settings and external context.
• A coherent implementation strategy to reach schools: The strategy outlines concrete measures that bring all the determinants together in a coherent manner to make the policy operational at the school level.
  This framework is translated into a set of questions and principles for action (Table 4.1) to guide policy makers to think through, design and analyse their education policy implementation process.
  1.Introduction: Why study education policy implementation?