Michael T. Hartney is an assistant professor of political science at Boston College. Professor Hartney's current research focuses on subnational politics and policy making, especially K–12 education policy and, more generally, the workings of US political institutions. His research has been published in leading academic peer-reviewed journals such as the American Journal of Political Science, Perspectives on Politics, and Public Administration Review and has received subsequent media coverage in outlets such as the Christian Science Monitor, the Boston Globe, Education Week, and U.S. News and World Report. During his fellowship year at the Hoover Institution, he will complete a book that examines the causes and consequences of teachers unions’ political power in American education. Prior to academia, Hartney worked as a policy analyst for the National Governors Association, where he provided technical analysis to governors and other state officials on a wide range of K–12 education reform issues, from teacher and principal quality to high school redesign.