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The Diffusion of Governance Reform in American Public Education: An Event History Analysis of State Takeover and Charter School Laws

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Bibliographic Details
Title: The Diffusion of Governance Reform in American Public Education: An Event History Analysis of State Takeover and Charter School Laws
Language: English
Authors: Wong, Kenneth K., Langevin, Warren E., National Research and Development Center on School Choice
Source: National Research and Development Center on School Choice (NJ1). 2005.
Availability: National Research and Development Center on School Choice. Available from: 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
Peer Reviewed: N
Page Count: 32
Publication Date: 2005
Document Type: Reports - Evaluative
Descriptors: Charter Schools, Elementary Secondary Education, Public Education, Governance, State Government, Politics of Education, Educational Policy, Federal Legislation, Local Government, Change Strategies, Educational Legislation
Geographic Terms: United States
Laws, Policies and Program Identifiers: Elementary and Secondary Education Act
Abstract: The political tradition of local school governance predates the existence of the United States. Yet the most prominent mechanisms for the exercise of local discretion have evolved considerably from their colonial origins in response to the changing political climate of the nation, constituent demands, and legislative innovation. Recognizing the distinctive role of local political forces in state education policymaking, this article examines the diffusion of local governance reform as national policymakers redefined the terms of state policy leadership under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. Through a discrete event history model using the complementary log-log function and cubic spline representation of time, we test the national influence and ideological distance hypotheses for charter school laws and state takeover reform. Our statistical results show clear differences in the respective number of significant determinants and explanatory power for those predicted relationships within each policy initiative. Appended are: (1) Variable Measurement and Data Sources; and (2) Descriptive Statistics. (Contains 1 figure, 1 table, and 16 notes.)
Abstractor: As Provided
Number of References: 50
Entry Date: 2010
Accession Number: ED509592
Database: ERIC
Description
Abstract:The political tradition of local school governance predates the existence of the United States. Yet the most prominent mechanisms for the exercise of local discretion have evolved considerably from their colonial origins in response to the changing political climate of the nation, constituent demands, and legislative innovation. Recognizing the distinctive role of local political forces in state education policymaking, this article examines the diffusion of local governance reform as national policymakers redefined the terms of state policy leadership under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. Through a discrete event history model using the complementary log-log function and cubic spline representation of time, we test the national influence and ideological distance hypotheses for charter school laws and state takeover reform. Our statistical results show clear differences in the respective number of significant determinants and explanatory power for those predicted relationships within each policy initiative. Appended are: (1) Variable Measurement and Data Sources; and (2) Descriptive Statistics. (Contains 1 figure, 1 table, and 16 notes.)