Read the three Readings:
Grumbach, Jake. 2018. “From Backwaters to Major Policymakers: Policy Polarization in the States, 1970– 2014.” Perspectives on Politics, 16(2): 416-435.
Gimpel, J.G. et al. 2020. “The Urban–Rural Gulf in American Political Behavior.” Political Behavior, 42(4): 1343–1368.
Houston, David. 2022. “Polarization, Partisan Sorting, and the Politics of Education.” EdWorkingPaper: 22-690
Prompts:
Why is partisanship and polarization an issue for a class on centralization and decentralization?
What is the relationship between geography and partisanship like?
Has it always been this way?
Does the public care about who controls education? Does what the public wants matter?
What are the most polarizing (least polarizing) issues in education.
Do these attitudes make sense?
What has changed recently?