ERIC Number: ED607278
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2017-Apr-30
Pages: 15
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-
EISSN: N/A
Voter Reactions to National Interest Group Involvement in Local School Board Elections
Casalaspi, David
AERA Online Paper Repository, Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association (San Antonio, TX, Apr 27-May 1, 2017)
Recent decades have witnessed a proliferation of nationally organized school reform interest groups like StudentsFirst. While historically active at the state and federal levels, these organizations are increasingly involving themselves in local school board elections by recruiting candidates, making donations, and offering policy advice. However, little is known about the electoral consequences of these activities. To address this gap, I provide the results of a quasi-experimental survey capturing how Michigan residents react to national interest group influence in school board elections. Results suggest that voters view candidates supported by national organizations less favorably than control candidates. These findings hold even when controlling for respondents' views on the issues. However, differences emerge based on respondents' views of who should govern education.
Descriptors: Voting, Elections, Local Issues, Politics of Education, Agenda Setting, National Organizations, Public Opinion, Governance, State Surveys, Policy Formation, Boards of Education, Board Candidates
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Publication Type: Speeches/Meeting Papers; Reports - Research; Tests/Questionnaires
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Michigan
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A