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Organizational networks shape education policy by influencing power holders and elites, but do they have similar effects on grassroots activists? We use data from the National Survey on Opting Out (2016 and 2018; n = 2,909) to examine the role of organizational networks in mobilizing activists in the opt-out movement (a movement in which parents and caregivers refuse to have their children sit for standardized tests). Despite characterizations of the opt-out movement as a bunch of "soccer moms" disappointed with their children's tests scores, our findings show that opt-out is in fact a structured movement reliant on social movement organizations (SMOs) with agendas that go beyond standardized tests. Further, we demonstrate a small but significant correlation between contact with SMOs and individual policy preferences. These patterns suggest that organizational networks may inform education policy by creating a social space for activists to learn about different policy ideas in education. We discuss implications for research and practice.

One of the most prominent educational social movements in the United States during the past two decades has been the opt-out movement, in which parents and caregivers refuse to have their school-aged children sit for federally mandated tests. Although early responses by government officials framed the movement in terms of race, class, and gender, in truth we know little about the actual motivations that drive opt-out activists. In this study, we build on social movements theories to examine who participate in the opt-out movement, as well as whether these partici-pants or their motivations changed over time. By doing so, we seek to build upon the existing literature by synthesizing the two primary theoretical perspectives on social movements and ac-tivism – uniting the focus on the social psychological determinants of individual activism with the focus on the role of external factors. Our analysis is based on data from two waves of the Na-tional Survey on Opting Out (2016: n=1,611; 2018: n=1,298). Our analysis show both stability and change in the opt-out movement between 2016 and 2018. Although the data reveal certain sociodemographic changes in the composition of the movement, these changes in demographics do not fully account for shifts in activist motivations over time. We also find that much of the variation in motivation across key social categories (e.g., political ideology, teachers/non-teachers, and parents/non-parents) holds over time. In contrast to common perceptions of the opt-out movement, which often portray parental concerns over their child's achievement as the pre-dominant motivation for participation, our study reveals that activists in the movement indicate they are motivated by political and ethical ideas. Participants in the opt-out movement are more concerned with collective problems, such as the well-being of teachers, broad curriculum, and privatization of public education, than with individual challenges. Given the massive changes that took place in the political and policy spheres during our period of study, the degree to which activist motivation stayed constant is notable – suggesting that many of these motivations are insulated from politics.

During the past few years the opt out movement, in which parents refuse to have their school-aged children take federally mandated educational assessments, has gained momentum. Yet many important questions about opting out remain unanswered: Who is actually opting out? What motivates parents who opt their children out of the tests? Are those who opt out trying to protect their children, or do they have broader political aims? These are some of the questions that we aim to address in this study. Data for this study come from the National Survey on Opting Out, which was conducted from January 20, 2016 through March 31, 2016. We recruited respondents online, through links on the webpages and social media channels of opt out groups. The survey was administered electronically. The sample consisted of a total of 1,641 respondents from 47 states.

Recently, there has been a resurgence of education activism in the United States. Media headlines suggest that citizens are raising their voices loudly and publicly to challenge various aspects of the education system. As we thought about instances of protest in education, as well as the role of edu-business, we wondered how the general public thinks about civic participation on educational issues, and how active individuals are in voicing their concerns. To address this question, we followed past research on civic engagement in the United States, and conducted a public opinion survey where respondents were asked about different forms of political and social action that they might take regarding education and schools. This survey paints a portrait of today's education activists. It found that certain groups – liberals, women, blacks, college-educated, parents and young people – are more politically active than others around education issues.