Taking Charge of Choice: How Charter School Policy Contexts Matter. Research Brief

Autor/in	Smrekar, Claire
Institution	Vanderbilt University, National Center on School Choice
Titel	Taking Charge of Choice: How Charter School Policy Contexts Matter. Research Brief
Quelle	(2011), (4 Seiten) PDF als Volltext kostenfreie Datei Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Monographie
Schlagwörter	Accountability; Charter Schools; Stakeholders; Governance; Elementary Secondary Education; Educational Change; Boards of Education; School Policy; Urban Schools; Legislators; Context Effect; Advocacy; Interviews; Public Officials; Achievement Gap; Indiana + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Verantwortung; Charter school; Charter-Schule; Education; Educational policy; Financing; Steuerung; Bildung; Erziehung; Bildungspolitik; Finanzierung; Bildungsreform; Ausschuss; Schulpolitik; Urban area; Urban areas; School; Schools; Stadtregion; Stadt; Schule; Sozialanwaltschaft; Interviewing; Interviewtechnik
Abstract	Against the backdrop of urban school politics, in which mayors play increasingly powerful and pivotal roles, the current study examines the origins and implications of mayoral control of charter school authorization and accountability in Indianapolis (see Henig & Rich, 2004; Wong & Shen, 2007). In contrast to analyses of mayoral takeovers of urban elementary education in cities such as Philadelphia, Chicago, and Baltimore, the study focuses on the advocacy coalitions and policy streams that made Indianapolis the first--and only--city with independent mayoral control over charter school authorization and accountability (see Bulkley, 2007; Kingdon, 1995; Orr, 1999; Sabatier & Jenkins-Smith, 1999; Shipps, 2006). The central research question of the study is: How (and why) did the policy landscape change to secure passage of the Indiana charter school law? To address this question, the author conducted more than 30 in-depth interviews with key stakeholders (e.g., charter and non-charter school leaders, school board members, business leaders, teachers union representatives, education foundation officers, former mayors of Indianapolis, and state legislators) involved in Indiana charter school law adoption and implementation. In addition, myriad documents were analyzed for descriptive evidence of the nature of governing coalitions and their members' educational and political values related to charter school policy. Key findings include: (1) The capacity to change the direction of education policy in Indianapolis was constituted by a public demonstration of collective action, trust among different institutions, and investment from partners external to the formal governance structures in the city; and (2) Civic capacity in Indianapolis coalesced measurably following charter school policy implementation and the establishment of the Mayor's Office of Charter Schools. (Contains 1 footnote.) [This brief summarizes a paper that was prepared for the National Center on School Choice Conference held in October 2009.] (ERIC).
Anmerkungen	National Center on School Choice, Vanderbilt University. Box 459 GPC, 230 Appleton Place, Nashville, TN 37203. Tel: 615-322-8107; Fax: 615-322-8828; Web site: http://www.vanderbilt.edu/schoolchoice
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2017/4/10