The Effects of Interest Groups

My community partner participates in politics by taking public stands on campaigns based on their policy towards education. The teachers of the school are all required to be a part of the Teacher’s Union which will donate money to the campaigns and candidates that best reflect the interests of the school district and teachers. In order for the Teacher’s Union to have money to donate to political campaigns, each teacher has a small amount of money taken out of their paychecks to be given to the Teacher’s Union. The Teacher’s Union has the ability to donate money as an interest group. For example, in table 5.1 titled “The Twenty Most Influential Interests in the States”; it notes that Schoolteacher’s organizations (NEA and AFT) are seen as effective interest groups in 31 states (101). It is interesting that the book says this because teachers unions are seen to be one of the most effective interests groups in many states. These organizations have the ability to donate money directly to candidates that best support education and will introduce policies that are most ideal for educators. They also have the ability to donate to specific interests such as a cause in California to direct more money directly to education spending. These organizations will also try to stop policies and interest groups that are promoting interests that could be detrimental to the school system. For example, the teacher’s union may fund an ad to speak negatively of a certain candidate because that candidate is advocating for education funding cuts.

Also, the teacher’s union may seek to have certain people elected to the board of education in their local school district to make sure that those elected are best representing the interests of the school. On the board of education especially, the teacher’s union wants to make sure that whoever is elected to the board will be reflect the interests of the students and the teachers. The last thing the teacher’s union wants to do is allow an official be elected to the school board that will cut funding to programs in school and allow for pink slips to be handed out to teachers. The same goes for elected officials like the governor.

Because funding is such a huge part of education and the public school system, it is especially imperative that the school and teachers stand behind the proper policies and government officials that are going to allow the schools to thrive. Thus, teachers have to take a stand in political campaigns in order to assure that schools will be given the ability to run properly. According to the textbook, the author states “Another workers’ group, schoolteachers, has banded together to form one of the most effective state-level groups. In fact, as Table 5.1 indicates, schoolteachers’ organizations are ranked among the most influential interest groups in thirty-one states” (100). This is an example of how the teacher’s coming together to form an interest group can collectively create a larger collective power that has the ability to influence policy and to make sure that the interest of educators is heard.