Why the Opportunity School District Failed? An Examination of the Politics of Improvement

• In Event: Hilton Roundtable Session 9
  In Roundtable Session: Is State Takeover the Path to School Improvement? Examining the Politics of State Takeover

Abstract

The State Charter School Commission (SCSC) in Georgia was created by a constitutional amendment that passed by nearly 9% (58.58% of the vote in favor) in 2012. However, in 2016, a constitutional amendment to create the OSD lost by a considerable margin - 60% no votes to 40% yes votes. This mixed methods article examine the politics of school improvement, particularly the underlying reasons why constitutional amendments to create statewide turnaround districts may be unsuccessful. Our analysis is guided by the following research questions: (a) To what extent do voting patterns vary in the charter school amendment in 2012 from the state takeover amendment in 2016? (b) What are the major factors that led to the opposing coalition victory in the state takeover amendment?

In order to evaluate the politics of school improvement, we use three theoretical frames: civic capacity, advocacy coalition framework (ACF) and the dissatisfaction theory. By combining multiple perspectives, we can better understand the challenges of developing a coalition and explicate the electoral outcome of the constitutional amendment for state-run school districts. Civic capacity in education refers to the ability of various actors in the community including educators, parents, policymakers, for-profit and non-profit organizations, and others to work together to support a community-wide ideal (Stone, 2001). ACF provides a framework to examine the coalition and formation behavior in the campaign for a constitutional amendment to create a state-run turnaround district. We use dissatisfaction theory to interpret our findings.

We use data from the Secretary of State on the elections for both constitutional amendments. We add data from the Georgia Department of Education and the Governor’s Office for Student Achievement for the 2011-12 and 2015-16 school years. We include neighborhood characteristics from the American Community Survey. We complement the quantitative data with interview data. We selected an initial sample of respondents intimately involved in the campaigns for and against state takeover. Our sampling is purposefully skewed towards the opposing coalition to get a more granular understanding of the strategies and tactics employed against state takeover. We also reviewed a range of sources such as political websites and campaign materials. We employ document and observation analysis and a descriptive analysis of the data on electoral outcomes.

Preliminary results indicate an increase in turnout by whites and a decrease in turnout by African Americans, especially males. The African American voting block was decisive and is partly responsible for the difference in results. Black voters voted against the OSD by more than a 2 to 1 margin. This is departure from the historical trends of black voters supporting charter schools in Georgia. Key factors in the victory of the opposing coalition include: local outreach, message discipline, polling and focus groups, and funding.

Our paper offer insights on how stakeholders and interest groups view and respond to state takeover. Examining the constitutional amendments for educational purposes is particularly important as the politics of state takeover is emblematic of a larger debate among stakeholders about school improvement.

Authors

• Richard Welsh, University of Georgia

• Jerome Graham, University of Georgia - Athens