Ten Thousand Democracies (American Governance and Public Policy) (Paperback)

~ (Author), Eric Plutzer (Author) "There are over 14,000 school districts in the United States..." (more)
Key Phrases: polity inference, state funding regimes, local union strength, New England, African Americans, New Jersey (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"An important and ambitious study of policy-making in the (k-12) school districts of America." -- Perspectives on Politics, September 2006

"If more scholars took their cues from [Berkman and Plutzer] when studying education politics, the field would shine a bit brighter than it currently does." -- Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, August 2006

"Ten Thousand Democracies breaks new ground...it is innovative, carefully argued, and clearly written." -- Teacher's College Record, April 28, 2006

Product Description

The essence of democracy is popular sovereignty. The people rule. In the United States, citizens exercise this right through elected officials who they believe will best represent their own values and interests. But are those interests and values always being followed? Authors Michael B. Berkman and Eric Plutzer provide the first systematic examination of the extent to which the governments closest to the American public - its 10,000-plus local school boards - respond to the wishes of the majority. Ten Thousand Democracies begins with a look at educational reforms from the Progressive era in the late 19th and early 20th centuries through the civil rights movement and ending with Pennsylvania's 2004 tax relief measure. Berkman and Plutzer explore what factors determine education spending levels in school districts, including the effects of public opinion, the nature of local political institutions, and the roles played by special interests. The authors show how board members are selected, how well the boards represent minorities, whether the public can bypass the board through referenda, and how the schools are financed. By providing an innovative statistical portrait that combines public opinion data with Census data for these school districts, the authors answer questions central to democratic control of our schools: how responsive are school boards to their public and when? How powerful are such special interests such as teachers' unions and senior citizens? By using the lens of America's public school districts to examine the workings of democracy, Ten Thousand Democracies offers new insight not only into the forces that shape local education policy but also how democratic institutions may function throughout all levels of government.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 228 pages
• Publisher: Georgetown University Press; illustrated edition edition (December 21, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1589010760
• ISBN-13: 978-1589010765
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #141,967 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A groundbreaking study of impeccable scholarship, April 3, 2006

By	Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

Knowledgeably co-authored by Michael B. Berkman (Associate Professor at the Department of Political Science at the Pennsylvania State University) and Eric Plutzer (Professor in the Department of Political Science at the Pennsylvania State University) Ten Thousand Democracies: Politics And Public Opinion In America's School Districts is an intricate revelation of the truths behind the power of special interest groups ranging from trade unions to senior citizen organizations in contemporary American education in general, and public school districts in particular. As many people are unaware of what correlations belong to race, age, and homeowner status and the amount of support given to academic accomplishments or facilities, Ten Thousand Democracies will open the reader's eyes to the many intricate facts regarding which groups have what potential, interests, facets, finances etc. A groundbreaking study of impeccable scholarship, Ten Thousand Democracies is very highly recommended reading for both educators, education policy makers, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in their community's public education system, and will serve as an excellent reference for research and information for students of contemporary American political science and public education.