Reinventing an Idea - The Political Construction of Charter Schools - Introduction

Oct 15, 2026

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Reinventing an Idea: The Political Construction of Charter Schools analyzes how policy “alternatives” become specific political constructions during adoption of charter school laws in Michigan, Arizona, and Georgia. Drawing on political science, sociology, and education, it connects ideas to historical and structural conditions, including outside influences, state policy discourse, and internal politics. The comparative historical case study explains the mechanisms by which a disembedded idea is integrated into local context, tracing evolution from initial law passage through implementation and later reinterpretations.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages27

Reading Time1 h 8 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Political construction and theory of change

Charter schools overview

Research questions and case analysis

Literature Review

Multiple streams and policy innovation inputs

Katrina E. Bulkleyis a professor with the Graduate School of Education at Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey. Reinventing an Idea: The Political Construction of Charter Schools1 By Katrina E. Bulkley Introduction Policy “alternatives” begin as general ideas, and are inherently distinct from an innovation or reform that has been adopted by policy makers in a specific context in order to serve particular purposes. However, the interplay between the idea itself and that moment in time when it is adopted, including how the context affects the idea, has often not been fully understood. As Hall notes,“if we want to accord ideas an explanatory power in analyses of policymaking, we need to know much more about the conditions that lend force to one set of ideas rather than another in a particular historical setting”(Hall 1989, p. 362). In this paper, I draw on literature from political science, sociology, and education to explore the political construction of charter schools during the adoption of charter school laws in three states; this political construction reflects the interplay between the ideas and context by examining the adoption of charter school laws in three states. By examining the influences outside a state and the historical and structural factors, policy discourse, and politics within a state, I explain how these different constructions developed. This comparative historical case study demonstrates the importance for scholars and policy makers of understanding exactly how a disembedded idea becomes integrated with local context in the process of policy formation, and the implications of such variation for later policy analysis and evaluation of policy impact. A political construction is the particular understanding of a policy idea by policymakers in a specific context at a particular moment in time. This construction of the policy idea incorporates the theory of change or theory of action connecting the adoption of a policy to desired ends and the assumptions found in that theory (Argyris & Schon 1974; Weiss 1995). The term political construction, rather than social construction, is used to reflect that a construction is developed in a political (here, a legislative) process. Literature on policy design also bears a strong resemblance to the concept of political construction. Schneider defines policy design as “the content of policy, its text and practices”(Schneider 1997) . She calls“target populations, goals, assumptions, rationales, implementation structures, rules and tools” the elements of design (Schneider 1997, p. 14) . As in the case of social construction, I am attempting to portray both a particular way of viewing or understanding a concept, the construction of charter schools, and that construction is also a process, rather than simply an end. The idea that a construction involves a dynamic process conveys the ongoing change that happens as any reform concept moves, within a particular context, from vague idea to a specific theory of change as incorporated in some sort of decision (such as the passage of a law) to implementation. While this study focuses on the construction of the charter idea at one specific point in each state, when policymakers passed the initial charter law, construction is an on-going evolution and ideas continue to develop as long as they are being used in policy, with each point in the evolution effecting future interpretations of an idea. While this study emphasizes the substantial state-to-state variation in the interpretation of the charter school idea, there are some common elements of the initial idea (see Nathan 1996; Kolderie 1990) . Charter schools are relatively autonomous public schools that receive a“charter”or contract from an“authorizer,”which as a public entity such as a local school board, a public university, or a state board of education. These contracts, which are usually for 3-5 years, provide the operators of a school with more autonomy t

FAQs

How does the paper define a political construction of a policy idea?

It defines political construction as a particular understanding of a policy idea by policymakers in a specific context at a specific moment. It incorporates assumptions and a theory of change or action linking adoption to desired ends.

Which states are compared in this study, and at what stage?

The paper compares adoption of charter school laws in Michigan, Arizona, and Georgia, focusing on the original adoption of the laws and how interpretations formed during that process.

What common elements are described about the initial charter school idea?

Charter schools are described as relatively autonomous public schools receiving a charter or contract from an authorizer, typically for 3–5 years, with renewal tied to demonstrating their value. The paper also notes their governance reform nature and funding based on enrollment in most cases.

Oct 15, 2026

Upload by moss~