Democracy Thwarted or Democracy at Work? Coalitions and the Fight for Influence in the Philadelphia Public Schools

• In Event: Educational Equity and Local Politics

Abstract

We examine Philadelphia, where a confluence of changes—centralization of policymaking at the federal level, challenges to democratic policymaking by free-market advocates, and the state takeover of the school district—have refashioned the local landscape of education policymaking. The paper examines three public engagement organizations each of which seeks to influence education policymaking within these new institutional parameters. We identify three critical “new spins” on established strategies that these organizations have adapted given the new landscape: new forms of coalition work, new forms of protest, and new electioneering strategies. The paper concludes by discussing implications for both community organizers and for scholars.

Authors

• Jody Cohen, Bryn Mawr College

• Marissa Golden, Bryn Mawr College

• Rand Quinn, University of Pennsylvania

• Elaine Simon, University of Pennsylvania