Consolidation and reorganization of schools and school districts in the United States from 1993 to 2012: an examination of the influence of state policies and laws on educational restructuring
Descriptive Metadata
Rights Metadata
Technical Metadata
Descriptive
TitleInfo
Title
Consolidation and reorganization of schools and school districts in the United States from 1993 to 2012: an examination of the influence of state policies and laws on educational restructuring
LanguageTerm (authority = ISO 639-3:2007); (type = text)
English
Abstract
The current study seeks to identify a possible connection between the consolidation and reorganization of public school districts and schools and state-level legislation throughout the United States from 1993 through 2012. A mixed methods approach was utilized. Quantitative analysis of statewide public school district data identified states exhibiting downward trends in total numbers of schools and districts while enrollment increased or remained consistent. Nine Downward Trending States (DTS) were identified: Alaska, Arkansas, California, Illinois, Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Oregon, and South Carolina. Specific terms were used to search state legislature websites of the DTS to identify legislative actions potentially connected to consolidation and reorganization. Search terms utilized were: public schools, districts, consolidation, reorganization, funding, taxes, facilities, enrollment, construction, cost, and transportation. Major findings include 138 legislative actions potentially connected to consolidation and reorganization in these states. Qualitative analysis of the identified materials classified all legislative actions into one of three categories based upon how these actions pertained to districts and schools from financial, procedural, and structural standpoints. Few bills were passed into law and this study found no authentic connection between state legislation and public education consolidation and reorganization. Recommendations for further study include analysis of state-level historical/political actions in DTS, examination of changes in local politics, changes in population, changes in industry, etc. in towns, municipalities, and counties in relation to school and district consolidation and reorganization, and analysis of student performance in DTS during the 1993-2012 time of consolidation and reorganization.
Subject (authority = local)
Topic
Consolidation
Subject (authority = RUETD)
Topic
Educational Administration and Supervision
Subject (authority = ETD-LCSH)
Topic
School management and organization -- United States
Subject (authority = ETD-LCSH)
Topic
Public schools -- United States
Subject (authority = ETD-LCSH)
Topic
Schools -- Centralization -- United States
RelatedItem (type = host)
TitleInfo
Title
Rutgers University Electronic Theses and Dissertations
I hereby grant to the Rutgers University Libraries and to my school the non-exclusive right to archive, reproduce and distribute my thesis or dissertation, in whole or in part, and/or my abstract, in whole or in part, in and from an electronic format, subject to the release date subsequently stipulated in this submittal form and approved by my school. I represent and stipulate that the thesis or dissertation and its abstract are my original work, that they do not infringe or violate any rights of others, and that I make these grants as the sole owner of the rights to my thesis or dissertation and its abstract. I represent that I have obtained written permissions, when necessary, from the owner(s) of each third party copyrighted matter to be included in my thesis or dissertation and will supply copies of such upon request by my school. I acknowledge that RU ETD and my school will not distribute my thesis or dissertation or its abstract if, in their reasonable judgment, they believe all such rights have not been secured. I acknowledge that I retain ownership rights to the copyright of my work. I also retain the right to use all or part of this thesis or dissertation in future works, such as articles or books.