Fourth Time Is the Charm for Washington Charters: Influences of the Federal Government and Elites

• In Event: 72.065 - Roundtable Session 30
  In Roundtable Session: 72.065-8 - Thinking Anew About School Choice and Competition: Multiple Perspectives and Emerging Avenues for Research

Abstract

Background

Washington State lacked a charter school law heading into the Race to the Top (RT3) competition in 2011. RT3 incentivized not only allowing charter schools, but also increasing or eliminating the cap on the number that a state allowed to be authorized (Author, 2014). Washington voters rejected ballot measures that would have established charter schools in 1996, 2000, and 2004. The decision to apply for the RT3 application once again provided an opportunity for additional dialogue surrounding charter schools. Since “ensuring successful conditions for high-performing charters...” was included in the application criteria (USDOE, 2013), Washington policymakers were forced to consider how to address charters. In 2012, yet another charter school ballot measure was placed on the ballot.

Theoretical framework

Using the theory of borrowing strength, this paper explores how state policymakers within Washington used RT3 to develop policy momentum to pass charter school policy (Manna, 2007). Borrowing strength suggests that policymakers at one ‘level’ of government may look to another level of government to help develop license or capacity to help pass a policy that may not have been able to pass previously (Manna, 2007; Author, 2014). License refers to the strength of the arguments available to justify government to take action, while capacity is the ability to act once policymakers decide they want to (Manna, 2007). In the case of Washington and RT3, policymakers and policy entrepreneurs used rationale from the federal level to build momentum to pass charter legislation (Author, 2014).

Methods and Data

Using a case study approach, this paper explores how RT3 influenced charter policy at the state level in Washington. Data were collected from campaign contributions, newspapers, and interviews with individuals in upper administration of the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) and various philanthropies from 2011-2013. Interviews were conducted in person with the State Superintendent of Public Instruction, other high-ranking OSPI officials, representatives from major philanthropies, officials from the Governor’s Office, and leadership from the Washington Education Association (WEA). In total, 13 interviews were conducted.

Results and Significance

Evidence from interviews and public documents show that RT3 did in fact help Washington establish a charter school law. State officials, particularly from the Governor’s Office and the OSPI repeatedly emphasized how RT3 was used in conversations to frame the issue of charter schools. In fact, of the 13 interviews, 11 of the people commented that RT3 was very important to the passage of the charter law.
This research extends the theory of borrowing strength. Manna’s theory has only been used in the context of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). In this context, the federal government borrowed strength from states to establish a national accountability system (Sunderman & Kim, 2007). However, evidence from this research suggests that the directionality of borrowing strength can work from the federal government down to state governments as well (Author, 2014).

Author

• Andrew Saultz, Miami University - Oxford