| Summary: | <p>The article raises a question frequently addressed by historians of education<br />about the connections and possible discrepancies between political practice<br />and its academic analysis. A researcher may study the processes of making and<br />passing an educational law or, alternatively, may delve into its internal history.<br />The first position favours an objective view, but sometimes makes it difficult to<br />know all of the variables playing a role in the policy-making process. For the<br />purpose of addressing such questions this paper sets out to contrast the images<br />and interpretations underlying academic work with the experience of the actors<br />involved in such processes. The author, relying upon his personal experience<br />in policy-making, reflects upon the tensions between internal and external<br />perspectives that arise when analyzing processes of educational change. The<br />article deals with the internal history of the Law of Education (LOE), providing<br />some keys for facilitating its academic analysis. The processes of preparation,<br />debate, drafting, negotiation and parliamentary discussion of the law are<br />presented and commented on. A number of reflections are included with the<br />aim of helping readers and researchers make the best mixed use of external and internal perspectives in analyzing education policy-making.</p>
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