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Arnold F. Shober

Associate Professor of Government, Lawrence University

My expertise lies in:

* Assessment and accountability. As American policymakers have lost interest in the process of public policy, they have demanded simple-seeming public reporting of results. Does this accountability lead to policy change? How does assessment shape implementation? This movement appears in many fields, but I focus on teacher quality and student achievement.

* Federalism and American education. American education is at once a bastion of localism and target for national control. Can localism yield democratic accountability without sacrificing academic achievement?

* Governors’ use of the media. Many governors produce almost daily press releases even as governors’ media visibility is low. What kinds of releases are picked up by the press?

I hold a Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Experience

  • 2006–present
    Associate professor of Government, Lawrence University

Education

  • 2006 
    University of Wisconsin-Madison, Ph.D.
  • 2000 
    University of Wisconsin-Madison, M.A.

Publications

  • 2012
    The Democratic Dilemma of American Education: Out of Many, One?, Westview Press
  • 2010
    Splintered Accountability: State Governance and Education Reform, SUNY Press