From policy networks to policy preferences: Organizational networks in the opt-out movement

Saraisky, Nancy Green; Pizmony-Levy, Oren

doi:10.14507/epaa.28.4835

Cited by 7 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 39 publications

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“…The movement is an example of an alliance of parents and teachers protesting a specific educational practice (annual mathematics and English language arts standardized tests for students in grades 3-8) primarily by mobilizing families to boycott federally mandated tests. It operates across the country in different communities with activists organizing themselves through networks of social media groups that function at the local, state, and national level (Green Saraisky & Pizmony-Levy, 2020). It also brings together relatively diverse individuals and organizations that possess disparate ideologies (e.g., liberals and conservatives), a phenomenon sometimes referred to as "strange bedfellow alliances" (Whittier, 2014).…”

Section: Social Movements Theorymentioning

confidence: 99%

Why Did They Protest? Stability and Change in the Opt-Out Movement, 2016–2018

Pizmony-Levy

Saraisky

2021

Teachers College Record

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Background/context One of the most prominent educational social movements in the United States during the past two decades has been the opt-out movement, in which parents and caregivers refuse to have their school-aged children sit for federally mandated tests. Although early responses by government officials framed the movement in terms of race, class, and gender, in truth we know little about the actual motivations that drive opt-out activists. We also know little about the extent to which the movement was affected by recent seismic changes in the political and policy spheres (e.g., the election of Donald J. Trump and the collapse of the Common Core State Standards). Purpose/objective In this study, we build on social movements theories to examine who was opting out and why, as well as whether these participants or their motivations changed over time. By doing so, we seek to build upon the existing literature by synthesizing the two primary theoretical perspectives on social movements and activism—uniting the focus on the social psychological determinants of individual activism with the focus on the role of external factors. Research design Our analysis is based on data from two waves of the National Survey on Opting Out. The first survey was conducted from January 20 to March 31, 2016 (n = 1,611); the second was conducted from March 7 to May 18, 2018 (n =1,298). The National Survey asked respondents to indicate the main reasons or motivations for their participation in the movement. With these data we use descriptive statistics and multivariate analysis to examine the extent to which participant motivations changed between 2016 and 2018. As part of this process we also examine the association between sociodemographic backgrounds and motivations. Findings/results The results of our analysis show both stability and change in the opt-out movement between 2016 and 2018. Although the data reveal certain sociodemographic changes in the composition of the movement, these changes in demographics do not fully account for shifts in activist motivations over time. We also find that much of the variation in motivation across key social categories (e.g., political ideology, teachers/nonteachers, and parents/nonparents) holds over time. Conclusions/discussion In contrast to common perceptions of the opt-out movement, which often portray parental concerns over their child's achievement as the predominant motivation for participation, our study reveals that activists in the movement indicate they are motivated by political and ethical ideas. Participants in the opt-out movement are more concerned with collective problems, such as the well-being of teachers, broad curriculum, and privatization of public education, than with individual challenges. Given the massive changes that took place in the political and policy spheres during our period of study, the degree to which activist motivation stayed constant is notable—suggesting that many of these motivations are insulated from politics.

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Section: Social Movements Theorymentioning

confidence: 99%

Why Did They Protest? Stability and Change in the Opt-Out Movement, 2016–2018

Pizmony-Levy

Saraisky

2021

Teachers College Record

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“…Some research has focused on the social organization of the opt-out movement. Green Saraisky and Pizmony-Levy (2020) find a heterogeneous set of organizational networks. Using social network analysis from a national survey, they found a range of related and sponsoring groups, from national unions or union-related factions to state-level organizations and separate advocacy organizations concerned with standardized testing in general.…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Opting Out of Standardized Tests at the Secondary Level—A Geographic Analysis of Colorado

et al. 2023

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Although much of the national opt-out movement is parent driven, the Colorado opt-out movement involved considerable efforts from high school students. This study explores the geography of the Colorado opt-out movement among secondary students, drawing upon social movements theory. We utilize the Colorado Measures of Academic Success (CMAS) as a measure of opt-out behavior in Colorado between 2016–2019. We also examine school-level demographic data. We first applied ordinary least squares regression and then utilize multiscale geographically weighted regression (MGWR) to examine the relationships between school-level demographics and opting out behavior for 11th-grade standardized assessments in Colorado. This analysis demonstrates the importance of geography in enacting social networks surrounding the opt-out movement in the state of Colorado. This study offers insight into opting out in the unique context of youth activism in Colorado, with a specific focus on geographical analysis.

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“…A investigação de redes políticas na educação tem se ampliado nos últimos anos, sendo crescente o número de artigos que incorporam a etnografia de redes e a noção de redes políticas nos modos de pesquisar a política curricular e educacional em diferentes países (ver, por exemplo, Ellison et al, 2019;Galey-Horn & Ferrare, 2020;Green Saraisky & Pizmony-Levy, 2020;Shiroma, 2020). Incorporamos contribuições de tais trabalhos, mas procuramos pensar tais noções de forma mediada pela interpretação da política como espaço de disputa não coerente nem racional, sem submissão a determinações estruturais, econômicas ou não, porque marcada por decisões contingentes em relações de poder desiguais (Lopes, 2018).…”

Section: Investigando Redes Políticasunclassified

Redes políticas na educação brasileira: O caso da Base Nacional Comum Curricular

Araujo,

Lopes

2023

EPAA

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O foco deste artigo é o de evidenciar como a filantropia e o terceiro setor disputaram espaços na política de centralização curricular, via Base Nacional Comum Curricular (BNCC), reforçando a necessidade de o Brasil investir nessa política para avançar na qualidade da educação. Apoiamo-nos nos estudos de Stephen Ball sobre a nova filantropia e governança no imaginário neoliberal, aprofundando a leitura pós-estrutural já apontada por este autor, por meio de Wendy Brown e da teoria do discurso de Laclau & Mouffe. Como percurso teórico-metodológico interpretamos as ações discursivas de redes políticas, com destaque para a Fundação Lemann; o Movimento pela Base; o Movimento Colabora e o Todos pela Educação, escolhidos por serem considerados os principais agentes da mobilização em defesa da BNCC no período de 2017-2022. Defendemos que tais redes políticas produzem discursos que legitimam e dão subsídio para que a BNCC seja interpretada como um consenso em direção à aprendizagem desejada, reforçando a política de centralidade curricular, associada à defesa da necessidade de um Sistema Nacional de Educação (SNE). Salientamos, ainda, a força que esses discursos assumem quanto maior é a transitividade de atores sociais entre as instâncias pública e privada.

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From policy networks to policy preferences: Organizational networks in the opt-out movement

Cited by 7 publications

References 39 publications

Why Did They Protest? Stability and Change in the Opt-Out Movement, 2016–2018

Why Did They Protest? Stability and Change in the Opt-Out Movement, 2016–2018

Opting Out of Standardized Tests at the Secondary Level—A Geographic Analysis of Colorado

Redes políticas na educação brasileira: O caso da Base Nacional Comum Curricular

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