The Portfolio Strategy: School Board and District Leadership, Policy, and Politics

• In Event: 65.079 - Roundtable Session 23
  In Roundtable Session: 65.079-20 - Leveraging Community Relations and Culture for Effective School Leadership and Policy

Abstract

Attention to declining public school enrollment, and to the increasing number of school closures nationwide, continues to grow. Yet, despite extensive media coverage of school closures, scholarly research on how school closures fit into strategic efforts to improve educational options is limited. This paper focuses on the efforts of district leaders in an urban school district to improve educational options and encourage families to remain in the public school system. Preliminary findings from interviews with district leaders suggest that decisions about the portfolio of schools, including closure decisions, are based on far more than district data. Leaders report efforts to rebuild trust and community support for the school district and its leaders weigh heavily in school portfolio decision-making.

Author

• Kelsey Krausen, University of California - Davis