The Politics of Charter School Evidence in Local Context

Abstract

This chapter presents evidence from research in Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) to investigate the multiple forms of evidence intermediary organizations (IOs) are producing and promoting and across social media, and how political contexts might inform policymakers' and IOs' use of it. Charter schools have proliferated in LAUSD, as in other urban school districts, making LAUSD an important case to examine how evidence on charter school equity operates in local contexts, and how national and state-level politics inform evidence use. The policy ecology model to the political context in Los Angeles, with particular attention to how it shapes research use and interpretation around charter school reform. The California State Board of Education is responsible for creating all K – 12 education policy for the state, including those pertaining to academic standards, curriculum, assessments, and accountability.