Date of Conferral

2020

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Public Policy and Administration

Advisor

Vincent E. Adejumo

Abstract

The increase in the requirements by state departments of education to be more accountable for student achievement is a key initiative of the federal government. The federal Race to the Top initiative provides a competitive system to qualify for grant funds. The nature of this funding program required accountability systems to be in place prior to application and awarded funds on a competitive system. There has been no research conducted on how a competitive federal grant program would impact the state-level policy coalitions. The purpose of this study was to examine the impacts a federal incentive had on the existing state-level policy coalition. The framework for this research is the Advocacy Coalition Framework developed by Sabatier and Jenkins-Smith. The research questions examined the impact of the federal incentive on the actions of policymakers within the coalition, what perceived benefits or drawbacks this type of incentive has on policymaking, and what impact similar incentives would have on vulnerable populations. This study relied on review of the bills and amendments, hearing testimony, and public documents associated with this initiative. Additionally, an interview conducted with a policymaker involved in this initiative was conducted to confirm any findings in the documentation. The findings showed that the incentive impacted the process by providing an external push for designing education policy in the state. It also impacted the actions of advocates for special interest groups took during the process, adjusting their advocacy for certain positions to be supportive of the overall initiative. Understanding how this type of federal incentive impacts state policy development allows policy makers and advocates to adjust their actions and continue to serve their respective constituent groups appropriately, resulting in social change.

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