Political Parties and American Democracy Mini-Conference III: The State of Polarization, Nationalization, and Identity in U.S. Schools

Session Submission Type: Full Paper Panel

Part of Mini-Conference

• Political Parties and American Democracy Mini-Conference III

Session Description

This session dedicates its time to exploring polarization, nationalization, and identity in U.S. School Boards. Specifically, papers engage with polarization by exploring the effects of policymaking through the lens of representation of constituent preferences and engagement, and how public opinion in regard to school-related issues has changed based on identity over time. Furthermore, papers engage with nationalization by focusing on instances where party members break from the larger party standpoint to the best interests of their community. Lastly, authors across the papers presented in this panel focus on policy feedback, whether it be to school closures or private school openings. This overarching panel suggests to readers that schools as institutions provide novel findings regarding this conference main theme – renovation. Have the dominant political parties magnified our ‘social cleavages’ over times when discussing school policy? Or are schools one of the better places to look for strong representation, as the inherent localness of the institution provides the best approximate direct-democracy approach to voter representation? Alternatively, have schools entrenched themselves into the larger political network, existing as a simple derivative of our larger institutions? These papers provide insights into such questions by focusing on the key areas of polarization, nationalization, and identity in U.S. schools.

Sub Unit

• Theme Panel

Cosponsor

• Division 59: Education Politics and Policy

Individual Presentations

• Beyond the Reach of Nationalization? The Case of Private School Choice in Texas - Leslie K. Finger, University of North Texas

• Bootleggers, Baptists, and (School) Building Closure - Vladimir Kogan, Ohio State University

• How Partisanship and Identity Have Structured US Public Opinion on Education - David Houston, George Mason University

• Back to School: Representation & Polarization in U.S. Educational Institutions - Sara Bornstein, The George Washington University

Chair

• Jeffrey R. Henig Columbia University

Discussant

• Melissa Lyon Rockefeller College of Public Affairs & Policy, University at Albany, State University of New York