The Consequences of International Comparisons for Public Support of K–12 Education

Evidence From a National Survey Experiment

Bibliographic Data

ID9733864
AuthorsStephen L Morgan (0000-0003-2198-1381, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, corresponding author), Emily S Taylor Poppe (0000-0002-1229-016X, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY)
Year2012
Volume41
Issue7
Pages262-268
Publication date2012-10-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueEducational Researcher (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0013-189X • E-ISSN: 1935-102X
PublisherAmerican Educational Research Association (AERA) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.3102/0013189x12455217
OpenAlexW2109811247
LanguageEN
Citations received3
References cited19

Candidates for public office in the United States frequently justify their positions on education policy priorities by stating the need to strengthen the nation’s economic competitiveness against new global challengers. In this article, the authors investigate the consequences of this form of policy motivation for attitudes toward and support of public schooling in the United States. Using a national survey experiment where a two-question prime on international competitiveness is randomized across respondents, the authors test for differential responses to attitude items that have been included regularly since the 1970s in the Phi Delta Kappa/Gallup Poll and the General Social Survey. The results suggest that framing educational policy with the goal of enhancing international competitiveness lowers subjective assessments of the quality of local schooling without increasing interest in additional spending to improve the nation’s education system

Economics · Framing (construction · Political science · Public economics · Public policy · Public relations · Public support · School choice · Sociology · Survey data collection · Global Education and Multiculturalism · Law · School Choice and Performance · Social Media and Politics