Mobilizing Support for School Environmental Health Issues: A Study of Connecticut Movements in New London, Lyme-Old Lyme, and Litchfield

Emily Templin

Mobilization efforts to improve the environmental quality of Connecticut schools in New London, Lyme-Old Lyme and Litchfield are the focus of this paper. The objective of this project is to determine what factors precipitate successful environmental health movements in Connecticut schools as well as how movements have been successful in achieving concrete results. The public has played a major role in mobilizing to improve school environments, as there are few regulations protecting school building occupants from environmental hazards. A synthetic theoretical model based on the resource mobilization theory and identity oriented paradigm is the framework used for analysis and comparison of the school environment movements. New London has mobilized successfully and improved environmental quality, despite the community's low socioeconomic class, and inactive parent base. The success of the New London movement is attributed to the leadership of a professional entrepreneur. The Lyme-Old Lyme community has successfully evolved from an informal grassroots movement, to involve existing networks, and now the administration and professionals. The public's resources and values have allowed the movement to successfully establish programs leading to concrete improvements in the school's environmental quality. Finally, Litchfield's movement is lead by two angry mothers using disruptive tactics to protect their children's health. The Litchfield community carefully maintains a high image and is not receptive to the women's disruptive tactics. The movement has mobilized few constituencies and achieved few concrete improvements in the school environment. This study has indicated that opportunity structures, resources and values influence the characteristics, tactics and outcomes of a movement. Different routes to successful mobilization are possible and accounted for in the synthetic theory. In conclusion, the synthetic theoretical model serves as a sound and comprehensive framework for the analysis and comparison of movements surrounding school environmental health hazards.