ABSTRACT:
How are public preferences formed when it comes to the electoral systems that determine who votes, who is elected, and what policies are adopted? We explore this topic in relation to the local school board elections that determine who makes important education policy decisions in the U.S. We use survey data to examine public knowledge and opinion, particularly on the issue of school board election timing given its major impact on voter turnout and the composition of the electorate. We pay special attention to understanding whether opinion differs for K-12 public school teachers given prior research suggesting that election timing affects the influence teacher unions have on these local races. Results are inconsistent with the idea that citizens simply prefer the electoral arrangements that most benefit their political or material interests.
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Beth Schueler is an Associate Professor of Education at Stanford University. She studies education policy, politics, and governance. Her goal is to understand the political dimensions of educational policymaking to help policymakers and practitioners improve school systems and better serve students. Much of her work has focused on efforts to improve U.S. K-12 schools and districts that have been labelled low-performing. She uses both quantitative and qualitative research methods, often in partnership with state and local educational agencies, to study topics including accountability policy, school and district turnaround, state takeovers of school districts, school board governance, public opinion, (de)centralization, education leadership, individualized instruction, the development of civic competencies, and more. Prior to Stanford, she was on the faculty at the University of Virginia and was a postdoctoral research fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.
