States have become increasingly central actors in educational policy with the advent of performance-based accountability and market-oriented educational reforms (Figlio & Ladd, 2008; National Research Council, 2011; Ravitch, 1995). In spite of this, there have been relatively few studies that have examined policymaking at the state level. This study seeks to address this gap by examining the case of how one educational policy, the Michigan Public Education Finance Act of 2013, got developed at the state level. Educational policy has a dark side based on influence, power, and access. So, who is it that shapes the direction of educational policy at the state level, and how?
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