School Boards: Repair, Replace, or Face the Consequences

Session Type: Invited Speaker Session

Abstract

Call it a big commotion (The Economist 2022), or as Sampson and Bertrand (2022) frame it - civil disobedience. The narrative and actions of this nation’s PK-12 school boards are exceptionally intense, and debatably have little constructive impact on quality education, particularly for those from BIPOC and underserved communities. The general public is somewhat more engaged than in the past with the gnarly issues on their agenda and practicing educators for the most part are annoyed and distracted from the teaching and learning that they are committed and charged to do. The authority to teach critical race theory or to invest in gender specific restrooms are examples of issues that tend to monopolize meeting agenda and stall attempts to focus on crucial issues of quality instruction in safe and well-resourced schools. To a great extent, the issues that school boards currently grapple with center on a desire to re-establish schools as they once were in the pre-COVID era while simultaneously trying to resolve racial discontent triggered in large part by the George Floyd incident. Clearly, this is an opportune time to examine our understanding of school boards as public institutions, recognize the goals and incentives of the new guard and craft sharp and decisive actions substantiated by research.

Sub Unit

• Social Justice Action Committee

Chair

• Mary E. Dilworth, Independent Researcher

Papers

• Replace or Repair: Exploring Possible Methods for Improving School Governance - Segun Eubanks, University of Maryland; Monica E. Goldson, Prince George's County Public Schools

• Relational Trust and the Politics of Evidence Use: School Boards Navigate Policy Making and Equity During and After the Pandemic - Robin McKeon, Rutgers University; Drew H. Gitomer, Rutgers University

• Small Government Takeover: The Politics of School Board Dissolution and the Impact on Student Achievement - Warren Seay, Arent Fox Schiff LLP

Discussant

• Carrie Sampson, Arizona State University

Moderator

• Lahaja Furaha, The Washington Post