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

In chapter 5, I analyze how organizations define their policy concerns and align their frames with the external political environment.³⁴ I conduct factor analyses to examine determinants of problem definition, which reveal that (a) established groups (older organizations with large staff) are associated with political decline stories; (b) civil rights groups, unlike parent advocacy groups, are associated with an instrumental political expression, seeking concrete policy outcomes, whereas parent groups often use congressional testimony to express personal hardships and success stories; (c) courts and coalitions are associated with a civil rights frame, portray students with disabilities from a civil rights lens, and tell a story of hope; and (d) professional education groups are associated with political decline stories that emphasize the differences of students with disabilities. I propose that at the heart of special education there is a fundamental tension between defining the policy as a civil rights matter (parent and disability advocacy groups) versus a traditional grant-in-aid program (professional groups). This tension complicates the policy-making process and has resulted in adversarial and lengthy legislative processes.

Chapter 6 analyzes how these groups choose which policy-making institutions to target. I show that the groups target multiple institutions much like organizations in other policy areas, depending on the stage of the legislative or regulatory process, or a pending court case. The chapter, though, indicates that parent advocacy groups lobby members of Congress in a highly targeted manner based on a shared experience of having a relative with disabilities. The chapter ends with an analysis of venue change and the types of policy victories groups have gained by turning to a different chamber, institution, or using an unrelated bill to promote their special education interests. The venue change discussion indicates that groups are sophisticated in utilizing the multiple access points of the policy-making structure, to advance their interests.

In chapter 7, I examine what strategies the groups use in furthering their interests. The main finding of this chapter indicates that although parent groups behave much like conventional interest groups, in conflict