Relational Trust and the Politics of Evidence Use: School Boards Navigate Policy Making and Equity During and After the Pandemic

• In Event: School Boards: Repair, Replace, or Face the Consequences

Abstract

This paper examines how school boards in three mid-eastern school districts: Urban town (a diverse small city), Commuter town (an affluent small town), and Suburban town (an affluent suburb) navigated the COVID pandemic, an event that coincided with the national trauma and reactions related to the George Floyd murder and its subsequent backlash. The politicization of issues during the first year foreshadowed profound changes in the world of many school boards in this state with historically excellent public schools and strong local control. Within a three year period these changes have dramatically affected relational trust in school districts and the use of research evidence in educational policymaking.

Authors

• Robin McKeon, Rutgers University

• Drew H. Gitomer, Rutgers University