The Resurgence of Private School Choice: A Computational Analysis of the Changing Educational Discourse in America

We invite you to attend the next Educational Research and Action Speaker Series event in conjunction with the Program for Interdisciplinary Education Research (ND PIER) Seminar on Friday, November 7 from 1:00-2:00 p.m. in Remick Commons. Please use this link to add the event to your Google calendar. 

Our guest is Dr. Joseph Ferrare, Associate Professor at the University of Washington-Bothell, who will be giving a talk titled, "The Resurgence of Private School Choice: A Computational Analysis of the Changing Educational Discourse in America." More information about Dr. Ferrare and his talk is below.

Abstract: Private school choice policies are enjoying a major revival in the United States. Using text classification models (roBERTa), this pilot study analyzes a longitudinal dataset of transcripts from legislative meetings across three states that passed universal private school choice bills in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Findings illuminate the discursive strategies that enabled choice advocates to successfully reframe educational debates in ways that are likely to reshape how we understand public education in the United States. This study provides an example of the critical role that natural language processing can play in education policy analysis as lawmakers, advocates, and practitioners grapple with unprecedented changes in the policy arena.

Bio: Dr. Joseph Ferrare is an associate professor at the University of Washington-Bothell's School of Interdisciplinary Arts & Sciences. He is a social scientist who studies the reform movements reshaping the education system and the role that public policy and social networks play in influencing these changes. His training and professional trajectory has been highly interdisciplinary, drawing on theories and methods from political science, education, sociology, and economics. For more information, see his faculty profile and website.