Translating Descriptive Representation into Substantive Representation: The Role of Electoral Institutions in Urban School Districts in Texas

Abstract

Scholarship has explored how descriptive representation translates into substantive representation in American schools with mixed findings. I argue here that electoral institutions condition this relationship between descriptive and substantive representation, with Hispanic representatives elected to serve single-member districts providing better representation for bilingual students than their at-large counterparts, particularly when demand for bilingual programming is high. Using data from urban school campuses in Texas from 2003 to 2011, I seek to assess how the interaction between electoral institutions, descriptive representation, and demand affects substantive representation, here measured as bilingual funding. Results demonstrate that Hispanic representatives, elected to serve either at-large or a single-member district, have a positive effect on campus bilingual funding when there is low demand for the program. Yet, only Hispanic representatives elected to serve single-member districts substantively represent bilingual constituencies when there is high demand.