The Consequences of International Comparisons for Public Support of K–12 Education: Evidence From a National Survey Experiment

Source: Educational Researcher, 41 (7), 262-268. October 2012.

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.

The authors investigate the consequences of this form of policy motivation for attitudes toward and support of public schooling in the United States.

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.