Educational Ecosystems and Charter Policy Development in the United States

• In Event: 523 - Section on Sociology of Education Refereed Roundtable Session and Business Meeting
  In Refereed Roundtable 60min: Table 12. School Context and Characteristics: Session III

Abstract

School reform advocates have fought for substantial changes to urban public education in the U.S. over the last two decades. Why have reform advocates been successful in some states and not others? In this paper, I use comparative historical analysis to trace differences in charter policy adoption from 2002 to 2012 in three cases: Indiana (Indianapolis), Washington (Seattle), and Kentucky (Louisville). I demonstrate how “educational ecosystems”, formed through an array of other state educational policies, shape the perceptions of state actors regarding urban public education, thereby helping to explain variability in charter school policy adoption.

Author

• Joe Johnston, Gonzaga University