The Role of Special Education Interest Groups in National Policy ...

Court, with the coding scheme theoretically grounded in the broader interest group literature. The theoretical patterns from the document data are quantitatively tested, and triangulated with elite interviews conducted with members of Congress and their staff, interest group leaders, and staff at the U.S. Department of Education. The combined data from document sources and elite interviews allow a unique analysis of interest group behavior over time, the groups’ evolution, and an examination of the groups’ effectiveness both quantitatively and qualitatively, in their interactions with policy makers. Although some parts of the research are exploratory, the multiple methods provide a systematic analysis of groups involved in special education policy-making, which other scholars have examined in case studies of single events.

The research focuses on these questions:

The next section outlines the components of the explanatory model and summarizes key findings.

Explanatory Model Components

Organizational Characteristics. Groups that represent both parents and professionals lobby on Capitol Hill and file amicus briefs. I analyze the