Redefining Education Regimes and Reform

Abstract

Governors across the country are playing a more important role in steering education policy than in the past. In our nine-state study of the politics of education from 1995 to 1997, the authors observed governors putting forward major reforms from vouchers to state standards and forming important coalitions with the business community and religious groups. Professional organizations, which have monopolized decision making in education for years, were forced to adjust to these new participants. Charter schools were strongly supported by most governors; they particularly appreciated the competition and local aspects of this reform. Overall, they showed little interest in compensatory funding for city schools, and school finance equity was only an interest if pressure came from property-poor suburbs. Urban schools are in dire need of more equitable and creative reform efforts, but this seems unlikely in the current political climate.