THE POLITICS OF HIGH SCHOOL EQUALIZATION POLICY-MAKING IN A KOREAN LOCAL SCHOOL DISTRICT

School choice is a worldwide education issue. In Korea, education stakeholders have been facing political conflicts surrounding the High School Equalization Policy (HSEP), an anti-choice policy, since 1974. This study assumed that education policy is the outcome of political struggles among education stakeholders. In particular, government officials like superintendents are involved in the political game in order to advance their values or interests. Thus, to investigate the political dynamics among stakeholders surrounding the HSEP, this study had five research questions: 1) Who were the proponents and opponents of the High School Equalization Policy? 2) Why did they take sides, pro or con? 3) How was the superintendent of the provincial school district, as a final decision-maker, involved with this issue? 4) What political tactics did each coalition use to achieve its policy goals? 5) How effective did major stakeholders think that the strategies were? Considering the main purpose and research questions of the study, this study used qualitative research methods. As qualitative research, a case study was used to explain political dynamics happening within a school district. The researcher employed interviews as the main method and document analysis and observation as complementary methods. A total of 32 participants were interviewed in a Korean school district, and a number of government documents, minutes of school board meetings, news articles, and other written materials were analyzed. Observation of a study committee meeting also was conducted. This study confirmed that educational policy-making was a product of political conflicts among political interest groups. The overall results of this study show that interest group politics played a key role in the equalization policy-making process. Moreover, most stakeholders took sides in either the pro-coalition or anti-coalition in order to accomplish their practical interests. The pro-equalization group took the initiative in the political game to challenge the established power structure in the community. In response, the opponents of the equalization movement launched an anti-coalition in connection with school district officials and school board members. This study found that the wealthy, well-organized patron's role and the entrepreneurial leadership were important for the initiation and maintenance of educational interest groups. Without the support of a progressive teachers union, the advocate group could not have championed the equalization movement for such a long time. Likewise, without the support of the Harbor High School Alumni Association, the superintendent could not have defended his policy preference so well against the attacks from the advocates. The government officials also participated in the political game, not as neutral arbitrators, but as major stakeholders. Whereas the pro-coalition employed massive rallies, the anti-coalition resorted to the passive, defensive, and small-scale persuasion or the formal and informal connection to…