The Shifting Terrain of Grassroots Mobilization and the Future of Education Reform in the United States

Public education has been a pillar of American society since the 19^thcentury, but since the 1990s an education reform movement has promoted school competition and accountability metrics for students and teachers as critical to turning around the so-called “failing” American public school system. In practice, this education reform agenda has resulted in the proliferation of non-unionized charter schools, shuttering of urban public schools, and the narrowing of curricula in response to increased use of standardized tests. This paper is part of a broader project exploring grassroots resistance to this reform agenda.

To date, the education reform agenda has been driven by well-financed foundations that are displacing the political influence of traditional education actors (e.g., elected school boards, teachers’ unions, and parent-teacher associations). As the results of the reform efforts become more concrete, however, a grassroots resistance effort of educators, parents, students, bloggers, and some elected officials has emerged to demand that well resourced, democratically governed schools remain a pillar of every American community. The future of education policy in the US will largely depend on how the balance of political influence shifts between the “reformers” and the growing grassroots resistance.

Drawing on data from fieldwork in Michigan, Illinois, and Wisconsin, where the grassroots resistance to the reform agenda has taken different forms and had different levels of success, this paper explores the factors that allow these grassroots efforts to successfully promote their vision of democratic public education. Specifically, the paper argues that four factors are critical: 1) shifting the “failing schools” narrative; 2) strengthening the relationships between union leadership, rank-and-file teachers, and the broader community; 3) finding a common frame that unifies the diverse demands of actors within the grassroots movement; and 4) building on the current social media presence while working to influence mainstream media.