Papers by Ezra Temko
Journal of policy practice and research, Dec 13, 2022
Women’s rights advocates in Iowa successfully got state laws adopted in the late 1980s and in 200... more Women’s rights advocates in Iowa successfully got state laws adopted in the late 1980s and in 2009 requiring gender balance on state and local boards and commissions, the only such laws in the USA. Through interview and archival methods, this paper uses a critical juncture framework to unveil how this was accomplished in part through a strategy underexplored in academic and practitioner literature—deradicalizing an issue through a series of “piecemeal” efforts. Small less controversial changes can build up to alter the status quo, making room for changes previously thought unaccomplishable. This study brings normatizing—the process of incrementally institutionalizing new norms—forward as a socialization strategy for social movement actors to intentionally consider employing insituations they encounter where political will on an issue is substantially lacking.
Journal of Policy Practice and Research, 2022
Women’s rights advocates in Iowa successfully got state laws adopted in the late 1980s and in 200... more Women’s rights advocates in Iowa successfully got state laws adopted in the late 1980s and in 2009 requiring gender balance on state and local boards and commissions, the only such laws in the USA. Through interview and archival methods, this paper uses a critical juncture framework to unveil how this was accomplished in part through a strategy underexplored in academic and practitioner literature—deradicalizing an issue through a series of “piecemeal” efforts. Small less controversial changes can build up to alter the status quo, making room for changes previously thought unaccomplishable. This study brings normatizing—the process of incrementally institutionalizing new norms—forward as a socialization strategy for social movement actors to intentionally consider employing insituations they encounter where political will on an issue is substantially lacking.
This public dataset contains transcripts of 8 in-depth semistructured interviews with drag artist... more This public dataset contains transcripts of 8 in-depth semistructured interviews with drag artists. Student Destiny Baxter conducted these interviews during Spring 2020. These interviews use the same instrument as a set of 22 interviews with drag artists conducted in Spring 2019, also available via ICPSR.<br>
, as well as "over 130 individuals representing a wide range constituencies-residents of Newark, ... more , as well as "over 130 individuals representing a wide range constituencies-residents of Newark, students, faculty, and staff of the University of Delaware; elected officials, city and state employees, business owners and alcohol licensees, clergy, school nurses, public safety personnel, civic association leaders and many others-participate in the project." 88 Implementation: In 1996, a grant was provided by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to address binge drinking among students. The Building Responsibility Campus/Community Coalition was formed, with a focus of "changing the norms, attitudes, policies, and practices that affect high-risk drinking at the university and in Newark." 89 Results: The coalition reported changing attitudes, policies, and enforcement on campus and in the surrounding community. There is an "enhanced judicial system combined with increased spending on alcohol-free student activities and other alcohol and other drug prevention efforts." 90 86 Building Responsibility Coalition
From 1986 through 1988, Iowa adopted and strengthened a gender balance law that required men and ... more From 1986 through 1988, Iowa adopted and strengthened a gender balance law that required men and women be equally represented on state boards and commissions. In 2009, Iowa extended this law to also require its counties, municipalities, and school districts to gender balance their boards and commissions. Iowa's law remains unique in the United States. Through archival research and interviews, my research investigates how advocates navigated the ideological landscape associated with this policy issue. My research unveils the mechanisms that substantially deradicalized gender balance in Iowa, enabling its passage and shifting Iowans' perceptions of gender, governance, and affirmative action-disembedding gender segregation, normatizing and institutionalizing gendered representation practices, and prioritizing an ideology of good governance. Based on my findings and analyses, I argue for reconceptualizing ideology through navigation theory-actors simultaneously hold multiple complementary and competing ideologies and must negotiate how these ideologies are (de)activated, (de)prioritized, and interpreted and applied to the issue under consideration. In Iowa, advocates employed collective action frame management to facilitate and steer this navigation such that a majority of legislators voted for and governors signed these affirmative action legislation. opportunity, making 'formal equality' appear synonymous with real equality (Gamson 1992a; Geertz 1973; Williams 1998). In reality, women often have to be more qualified than their men counterparts to become political appointees (Carroll 1986). Blacks often have to be more qualified than their white counterparts to obtain equivalent jobs (O'Sullivan, Mugglestone, and Allison 2014). All else being equal, women and racial minorities still face decreased prospects of successful outcomes
Children & Society, 2018
School bullying is dominantly understood as an individualistic phenomenon, overlooking the socios... more School bullying is dominantly understood as an individualistic phenomenon, overlooking the sociostructural environment that creates and maintains it. A critical content analysis reveals that the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program is similarly lacking. The programme labels students as bullies and victims, ascribes these groups' particular character traits, sidelines issues of bias and at times reproduces norms that foster bullying. The programme hyperfocuses on real-time manifestations of bullying incidents, attempting to end bullying through universal monitoring of students and student compliance with antibullying rules. It is argued that efforts to reduce school bullying should address both its individualistic and structural determinants.
Young Elected Officials Network, 2022
Parent-child community events like father-daughter dances are a celebrated tradition in many comm... more Parent-child community events like father-daughter dances are a celebrated tradition in many communities. However, when these events specify the gender of who can participate, they exclude many families. They also tend to reinforce gender stereotypes (e.g., a dance for girls and a sports event for boys), and are legally questionable for public school and associated P.T.A./P.T.O. sponsors that may be violating federal Title IX requirements and for local governments that may be violating the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution’s Equal Protection Clause.
Contemporary U.S. society is made up of families that come in diverse forms and structures. Two-parent households may have a working mother and stay-at-home father or two parents of the same gender. Some children live with only one parent, sometimes due to factors such as deployment, death, divorce, and incarceration. Excluding families from these events prevents them from participating in community events meant to foster and celebrate family bonds, ultimately adding unnecessary stressors and stigmatizing these families and children.
To address these concerns, over the past decade a growing number of communities across the United States have adapted their family events to make them gender inclusive. From Rhode Island to North Carolina to Wisconsin to Oregon, schools, local governments, and other sponsors of gender-exclusive parent-child events have adapted their events to be welcoming and inclusive. These communities strive to ensure the whole community is represented, and that they bring families in the community together, providing equal access to community events. Daddy Daughter Dances become Family Dances or Spring Flings. Me and My Son Bowling becomes a Bowling Bonanza. These events have been expanded to preserve the opportunity for parents and children to bond, including for fathers with their daughters, while also ensuring that girls who like bowling, boys who like dancing, nonbinary children, widowed parents otherwise considered the “wrong” gender, and other community members are able to participate in events that are designed for the community of which they are a part.
A number of organizations, from the American Civil Liberties Union (A.C.L.U.) to the American Association of University Women (A.A.U.W.) to PFLAG National to the National Coalition for Women and Girls in Education (N.C.W.G.E.), support communities making these events gender inclusive. However, these changes have not occurred without resistance, often rooted in an attachment to tradition, a desire to enforce values and normative gender roles in our society, and a fear that inclusive policies are part of a cultural politics they find troubling. However, public institutions have responded that they should serve their entire constituency, regardless of any staff or politician’s personal views. Regardless of who lives in their community, communities that have adapted their events seek to serve all the children and families who live there.
Being inclusive does not mean ending a tradition; it means finding a way to continue a tradition and bring more people into the celebration. A family dance that used to be a Daddy Daughter Dance still welcomes fathers and daughters to attend together. Families and community leaders seeking change want to be able to participate in community traditions with their family and for these events to be welcoming to their neighbors.
Across the country, gender-exclusive community events are being challenged. Some have changed and become gender inclusive. Others continue to exclude members of the public. Advocates, community leaders, and decision-makers in communities with gender-exclusive events seeking to create equal access to these community events can advocate for and adopt changes to specific events or broader inclusive policies that requires these events be inclusive. Community leaders can work to create inclusive policies that represent their whole community and bring families of all kinds together.
School bullying is dominantly understood as an individualistic phenomenon, overlooking the socios... more School bullying is dominantly understood as an individualistic phenomenon, overlooking the sociostructural environment that creates and maintains it. A critical content analysis reveals that the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program is similarly lacking. The programme labels students as bullies and victims, ascribes these groups’ particular character traits, sidelines issues of bias and at times reproduces norms that foster bullying. The programme hyperfocuses on real‐time manifestations of bullying incidents, attempting to end bullying through universal monitoring of students and student compliance with anti‐bullying rules. It is argued that efforts to reduce school bullying should address both its individualistic and structural determinants.
National Civic Review, 2010
Local governments should use democratic governance to enhance a community’s
problem-solving capa... more Local governments should use democratic governance to enhance a community’s
problem-solving capacity and civic health. Strategically using democratic governance tools and a systematic shift toward a democratic framework of governance would enhance any community’s ability to accomplish its goals. This article offers a case study of Newark, Delaware. Newark's civic health is evaluated through a survey administered to a cross section of stakeholders in the community. Democratic governance techniques that could help Newark capitalize on its strengths and address its growing edges are discussed.
Thesis Chapters by Ezra Temko
ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Database, 2019
From 1986 through 1988, Iowa adopted and strengthened a gender balance law that required men and ... more From 1986 through 1988, Iowa adopted and strengthened a gender balance law that required men and women be equally represented on state boards and commissions. In 2009, Iowa extended this law to also require its counties, municipalities, and school districts to gender balance their boards and commissions. Iowa’s law remains unique in the United States. Through archival research and interviews, my research investigates how advocates navigated the ideological landscape associated with this policy issue. My research unveils the mechanisms that substantially deradicalized gender balance in Iowa, enabling its passage and shifting Iowans’ perceptions of gender, governance, and affirmative action—disembedding gender segregation, normatizing and institutionalizing gendered representation practices, and prioritizing an ideology of good governance. Based on my findings and analyses, I argue for reconceptualizing ideology through navigation theory—actors simultaneously hold multiple complementary and competing ideologies and must negotiate how these ideologies are (de)activated, (de)prioritized, and interpreted and applied to the issue under consideration. In Iowa, advocates employed collective action frame management to facilitate and steer this navigation such that a majority of legislators voted for and governors signed these affirmative action legislation.
Teaching Documents by Ezra Temko
This public dataset contains transcripts of 22 in-depth semistructured interviews with drag artis... more This public dataset contains transcripts of 22 in-depth semistructured interviews with drag artists. Students conducted these interviews during Spring 2019.
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Papers by Ezra Temko
Contemporary U.S. society is made up of families that come in diverse forms and structures. Two-parent households may have a working mother and stay-at-home father or two parents of the same gender. Some children live with only one parent, sometimes due to factors such as deployment, death, divorce, and incarceration. Excluding families from these events prevents them from participating in community events meant to foster and celebrate family bonds, ultimately adding unnecessary stressors and stigmatizing these families and children.
To address these concerns, over the past decade a growing number of communities across the United States have adapted their family events to make them gender inclusive. From Rhode Island to North Carolina to Wisconsin to Oregon, schools, local governments, and other sponsors of gender-exclusive parent-child events have adapted their events to be welcoming and inclusive. These communities strive to ensure the whole community is represented, and that they bring families in the community together, providing equal access to community events. Daddy Daughter Dances become Family Dances or Spring Flings. Me and My Son Bowling becomes a Bowling Bonanza. These events have been expanded to preserve the opportunity for parents and children to bond, including for fathers with their daughters, while also ensuring that girls who like bowling, boys who like dancing, nonbinary children, widowed parents otherwise considered the “wrong” gender, and other community members are able to participate in events that are designed for the community of which they are a part.
A number of organizations, from the American Civil Liberties Union (A.C.L.U.) to the American Association of University Women (A.A.U.W.) to PFLAG National to the National Coalition for Women and Girls in Education (N.C.W.G.E.), support communities making these events gender inclusive. However, these changes have not occurred without resistance, often rooted in an attachment to tradition, a desire to enforce values and normative gender roles in our society, and a fear that inclusive policies are part of a cultural politics they find troubling. However, public institutions have responded that they should serve their entire constituency, regardless of any staff or politician’s personal views. Regardless of who lives in their community, communities that have adapted their events seek to serve all the children and families who live there.
Being inclusive does not mean ending a tradition; it means finding a way to continue a tradition and bring more people into the celebration. A family dance that used to be a Daddy Daughter Dance still welcomes fathers and daughters to attend together. Families and community leaders seeking change want to be able to participate in community traditions with their family and for these events to be welcoming to their neighbors.
Across the country, gender-exclusive community events are being challenged. Some have changed and become gender inclusive. Others continue to exclude members of the public. Advocates, community leaders, and decision-makers in communities with gender-exclusive events seeking to create equal access to these community events can advocate for and adopt changes to specific events or broader inclusive policies that requires these events be inclusive. Community leaders can work to create inclusive policies that represent their whole community and bring families of all kinds together.
problem-solving capacity and civic health. Strategically using democratic governance tools and a systematic shift toward a democratic framework of governance would enhance any community’s ability to accomplish its goals. This article offers a case study of Newark, Delaware. Newark's civic health is evaluated through a survey administered to a cross section of stakeholders in the community. Democratic governance techniques that could help Newark capitalize on its strengths and address its growing edges are discussed.
Thesis Chapters by Ezra Temko
Teaching Documents by Ezra Temko
Contemporary U.S. society is made up of families that come in diverse forms and structures. Two-parent households may have a working mother and stay-at-home father or two parents of the same gender. Some children live with only one parent, sometimes due to factors such as deployment, death, divorce, and incarceration. Excluding families from these events prevents them from participating in community events meant to foster and celebrate family bonds, ultimately adding unnecessary stressors and stigmatizing these families and children.
To address these concerns, over the past decade a growing number of communities across the United States have adapted their family events to make them gender inclusive. From Rhode Island to North Carolina to Wisconsin to Oregon, schools, local governments, and other sponsors of gender-exclusive parent-child events have adapted their events to be welcoming and inclusive. These communities strive to ensure the whole community is represented, and that they bring families in the community together, providing equal access to community events. Daddy Daughter Dances become Family Dances or Spring Flings. Me and My Son Bowling becomes a Bowling Bonanza. These events have been expanded to preserve the opportunity for parents and children to bond, including for fathers with their daughters, while also ensuring that girls who like bowling, boys who like dancing, nonbinary children, widowed parents otherwise considered the “wrong” gender, and other community members are able to participate in events that are designed for the community of which they are a part.
A number of organizations, from the American Civil Liberties Union (A.C.L.U.) to the American Association of University Women (A.A.U.W.) to PFLAG National to the National Coalition for Women and Girls in Education (N.C.W.G.E.), support communities making these events gender inclusive. However, these changes have not occurred without resistance, often rooted in an attachment to tradition, a desire to enforce values and normative gender roles in our society, and a fear that inclusive policies are part of a cultural politics they find troubling. However, public institutions have responded that they should serve their entire constituency, regardless of any staff or politician’s personal views. Regardless of who lives in their community, communities that have adapted their events seek to serve all the children and families who live there.
Being inclusive does not mean ending a tradition; it means finding a way to continue a tradition and bring more people into the celebration. A family dance that used to be a Daddy Daughter Dance still welcomes fathers and daughters to attend together. Families and community leaders seeking change want to be able to participate in community traditions with their family and for these events to be welcoming to their neighbors.
Across the country, gender-exclusive community events are being challenged. Some have changed and become gender inclusive. Others continue to exclude members of the public. Advocates, community leaders, and decision-makers in communities with gender-exclusive events seeking to create equal access to these community events can advocate for and adopt changes to specific events or broader inclusive policies that requires these events be inclusive. Community leaders can work to create inclusive policies that represent their whole community and bring families of all kinds together.
problem-solving capacity and civic health. Strategically using democratic governance tools and a systematic shift toward a democratic framework of governance would enhance any community’s ability to accomplish its goals. This article offers a case study of Newark, Delaware. Newark's civic health is evaluated through a survey administered to a cross section of stakeholders in the community. Democratic governance techniques that could help Newark capitalize on its strengths and address its growing edges are discussed.