The Politics of School District Consolidation and Reorganization Reform in Illinois in 1985 and 1986
Walker, Allan David
This item is only available for download by members of the University of Illinois community. Students, faculty, and staff at the U of I may log in with your NetID and password to view the item. If you are trying to access an Illinois-restricted dissertation or thesis, you can request a copy through your library's Inter-Library Loan office or purchase a copy directly from ProQuest.
Permalink
https://hdl.handle.net/2142/69183
Description
Title
The Politics of School District Consolidation and Reorganization Reform in Illinois in 1985 and 1986
Author(s)
Walker, Allan David
Issue Date
1988
Doctoral Committee Chair(s)
Ward, James G.
Department of Study
Education
Discipline
Education
Degree Granting Institution
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Degree Name
Ph.D.
Degree Level
Dissertation
Keyword(s)
Education, Administration
Political Science, General
Abstract
The study investigated the range, causes, and sources of the factors that initially prompted state level policy makers to implement a controversial policy change, as part of an overall education reform movement, and then abandon it before it had the opportunity to reach full implementation. The study analyzed the school district consolidation issue in Illinois in 1985 and 1986 through the simultaneous use of four interrelated decision making models in an attempt to gain a deeper understanding of the policy making processes at the state level.
The research design employed document analysis and in-depth interviews. Data were gathered from semi-structured interviews and primary and secondary documents to allow triangulation within and between the two techniques. Respondents were selected using an iterative method with the final list of respondents being validated by a team of experts. Respondent categories included: elected officials, interest groups, state agency officials, and others. Data were analysed to identify common themes, concepts, and propositions. The results of the analysis were presented in the form of an historical, descriptive case study which in turn laid the foundation for the analysis through multiple, complementary decision making models.
The findings revealed a multitude of politicians, interest groups, state education officials, and grass roots pressure groups having a critical impact on the policy process. The formation of small, homogeneous, issue specific interest groups and coalitions, the passivity of the state education officials, the specture of a state wide election, and miscommunication and misinterpretation of policy intent substantially affected the issue outcome. Despite the increasing involvement of the state in educational policy making, the influence of coordinated grass roots pressure was evident. This influence appeared to be magnified by the incongruence of key actor's goals, the proximity of a major election, and the bargaining environment surrounding the overall reform movement. Implications for policy makers when persuing a controversial policy change were presented.
Use this login method if you
don't
have an
@illinois.edu
email address.
(Oops, I do have one)
IDEALS migrated to a new platform on June 23, 2022. If you created
your account prior to this date, you will have to reset your password
using the forgot-password link below.
