ERIC Number: ED240711
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 1984-Apr
Pages: 23
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
How Successful Federal and Provincial Politicians Evaluate Their School Board Experience as a Political Apprenticeship.
Robinson, Norman; Stacey, Caroline
This study examines the value of school board experience as a political apprenticeship for a group of 10 politicians in Canada who went on to successful careers in the House of Commons or the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. Structured indepth interviews focused on the study's principal concerns: political socialization, political recruitment, and political apprenticeship. Findings show that the majority of the respondents came from politically active families and underwent early political socialization. Six of the respondents were recruited to run for the school board by others (three by parents, friends, and neighbors; two by mayors; and one by a ratepayers' association). The other four respondents initiated their own candidacies. For nine of the respondents, election to the school board started their political careers. For all 10 of the respondents, the school board experience was an invaluable political apprenticeship, which developed such political skills as coalition building, conflict resolution, assessment of expert evidence, and financial management. The study calls for further research to examine whether the political experiences of less successful school board members differ markedly from those discussed in this study. (PB)
Publication Type: Reports - Research; Speeches/Meeting Papers
Education Level: N/A
Audience: Policymakers
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Canada
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A