Theses and Dissertations Collection
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Item The study of state education policy mechanisms and goals in Arizona and California: a comparative analysis(University of California, Riverside, 1985) Kavishe, Paul RajabuThe primary purpose of the study was to investigate the goals and mechanisms of education policies in the states of Arizona and California. Specifically, the dissertation examined alternative approaches taken to seven basic state policy mechanisms (SPMs) and the related educational goals pursued by those states. The goal of the study is concep tual and exploratory rather than hypothesis testing. The initial working hypothesis was that educational goals or values control the selection of alternative approaches. Procedurally the study: (1) identifies alternative approaches in each of the seven SPMs; (2) examines and differentiates the educational goals of the key actors; and (3) explores the relationship between the goal preferences of the key actors and the level of attention given to various approaches to policy content. The study is a comparative case study employing three data collection methods: interviews, questionnaires, and pertinent document analysis. Interview respondents included 66 key education actors--34 in Arizona and 32 in California. These were selected from four categories based on their roles within the state educational policy system: appointed officials in both legislative and executive staff offices; elected officials; educational interest group representa tives ; and two knowledgeable observers. The study findings indicated that the identified SPMs accurately describe and classify education policies in the states. Additionally, a relationship was found between the goal preferences of key actors and the state's emphasis on particular policy approaches. From document analysis and interview responses, it was found that among the four educational goals studied (efficiency, equity, quality, and choice), quality surfaced as the critical contemporary issue in both states. The findings of this study may have potential signif icance for both scholars and policy makers. Scholars should benefit from the availability of a taxonomic framework capable of describing and comparing the diverse education policies being pursued by various states, and policy makers, by utilizing the framework, may be able to more quickly identify and evaluate alternative strategies for improving the performance of the public schools.