While U.S. voters delivered a significant change in the 2024 federal elections, they opted for steady leadership at the state level. No state board of education shifted in partisan control, and only five seats saw a shift in political party out of 27 races that were contested in the general election. This policy update looks at the results of…

In this brief, we use data from the 2021 PACE/USC Rossier Poll to report on California voters' attitudes towards and engagement with local school district governance. Generally, our findings show relatively high support for school boards among California voters, although voters were less satisfied with school board performance in the context of…

Political scientists have largely overlooked the democratic challenges inherent in the governance of U.S. public education--despite profound implications for educational delivery and, ultimately, social mobility and economic growth. In this study, we consider whether the interests of adult voters who elect school boards in each community are…

Studies indicate that as many as one-third of localities in the United States elect their leaders on partisan ballots. This would seem to violate the reformist idea that local government ought to be as insulated as possible from party politics. State and local governments continue to mandate changes to how citizens shall elect their local…

Recent decades have witnessed a proliferation of nationally organized school reform interest groups like StudentsFirst. While historically active at the state and federal levels, these organizations are increasingly involving themselves in local school board elections by recruiting candidates, making donations, and offering policy advice. However,…

This historiographical case study of the Scottsdale School District in Arizona examined the degree to which school governance was democratic and tested the proposition that policy change at the district level occurs in response to community demands as evidenced by policymakers' Chapter 2 addresses three categories of administrative discipline…

Policies governing the organization and timing of school elections affect democratic representation in school decision making. Some argue that school board elections should be consolidated with general municipal elections on the grounds that this will increase participation and representation, but little empirical work addresses the consequences…

School boards, who have been regarded as the keystone that links public education to ordinary citizens, are normally elected. However, these elections are usually low-turnout, low-interest affairs in which the vast majority of ordinary citizens play no role at all. In school board elections, the incentives of the teacher unions are strong and…

A study of community dissatisfaction with schools in districts experiencing labor conflicts provided information supporting modification and elaboration of the dissatisfaction theory of school governance. The theory permits predictions concerning the outcomes of school board elections under specified conditions. (PGD)

Working from the basic assumption that the primary motivation for those involved in school governance is self-interest, this paper develops and discusses 15 hypotheses that form the essential elements of an economic theory of school governance. The paper opens with a review of previous theories of governance and their origins in social science…

"Chronicle of Higher Education" presents an abundant source of news and information for college and university faculty members and administrators. This February 6, 2004 issue of "Chronicle for Higher Education" includes the following articles: (1) "The Academic Job Forum"; (2) "Should Your Private Life Be Public…