Interest groups in conflict: Equality of education, 1954-1979

This analysis examines the effect of governmental policy on interest groups' behavior and the "validation" and legitimation interest groups by governmental mandates. These findings illuminate the influence of interest groups an educational decision making and the influence of educational decision making on interest groups.;Since the Brown decision, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and other national events, conflict among and between minority interest groups and members of the dominant society about the definition and practical application of equality of educational opportunity has affected the ability of decision makers to make educational policy.;Schattschneider's socialization of conflict theory and Truman's disturbance theory are combined in this analysis to present a conceptual framework for understanding conflict's impact on decision making. This particular analysis use a comparative case study approach including historical review and political analysis of two decades: 1954-1964 and 1970-1979.;Analysis of the data from New Orleans and San Francisco indicates that governmental actions did stimulate interest group proliferation and shifts in expectation between 1954 and 1979.;Additionally, by the end of 1979, interest groups had polarized along racial lines and what had formerly been broad political coalitions had been replaced by narrowly focused interest groups. For example, many Blacks and Latinos in San Francisco demanded funds for segregated programs in schools. These findings also indicate that beginning in the late 1970s and subsequent to 1979, the dominant political majority has organized and is using ballot initiatives as a means of responding to what it perceives as an unresponsive government.;The effects of these interest group activities include a scattering of school resources and an increase in policies that are often contradictory. Nevertheless, the prospect of minimizing the inappropriate influence of interest groups on decision making appears dim at this time. However, with the return of broad-based political coalitions as a means of influencing decision making, locally elected boards may again be able to reach a consensus. By so doing, education could more effectively pursue its mission. (Abstract shortened with permission of author.)...