Disdain, Frustration, and Pity: Exploring Affect in State Education Policy Discourse

• In Event: More Than Words: Discourse, Power, and Educational Reform

Abstract

Far from a rational, logic-driven, level-headed activity, policymaking is a ‘messy’ process. This paper highlights the role of affect (feelings or emotions, broadly defined) in the process of designing policy. Building on affect theory and the recent affective turn in education we highlight the various ‘affective communities’ in policymaking. Taking the example of school choice policy, we draw on in-depth interviews with 61 policymakers – elected officials, state department of education staff, and advocates who work for large, state-level organizations – to reveal the primacy of pity, disdain, and frustration grafted onto the perceived inadequacies of educational communities, specifically teachers and administration. We argue that the intensity of negative affect in the policy design process has profound implications for U.S education policy.

Authors

• Kate Kennedy, RAND Corporation

• Neha Miglani, Florida State University

• Jacob Alonso, University of Southern California

• James Bridgeforth, Community Schools Learning Exchange

• Haley Nelson, University of Southern California

• Julie A. Marsh, University of Southern California