Big P and Little p Politics: Contemporary and Enduring Challenges for K–12 School Board Members

• In Event: School Board Elections and Governance in a Changing Political Environment

Abstract

School boards have become increasingly visible arenas for political conflict, reflecting the broader nationalization and polarization of education policy debates. While much of the post-pandemic public attention has focused on high-salience “culture war” issues, less is known about how school board members (SBMs) themselves experience and navigate these dynamics and how this relates to their experiences of more everyday, enduring, local political challenges. This study addresses this gap by distinguishing between “Big P” politics, defined as nationalized and partisan political debates, and “little p” politics, defined as the everyday governance dynamics of serving on a local school board. Within Big P politics, we further distinguish between issues related to culture wars and those related to federal policy changes underway.

Drawing on theories of role strain and emotional labor, we conceptualize school board service as requiring members to navigate competing expectations, interpersonal conflict, and public scrutiny. The strains associated with this emotional labor may affect members’ well-being and willingness to continue serving, while self-efficacy may mediate these relationships. Theory further suggests that efficacy and well-being may interact to mitigate the stress of this emotionally taxing role, particularly in polarized times (Flinders et al., 2018; Hochschild, 1983; Weinberg, 2021). We ask: (1) How are SBMs experiencing the current political climate, particularly the rise of Big P politics? (2) How do they experience enduring little p political dynamics? and (3) How do these potential political challenges relate to SBMs’ well-being, self-efficacy, and intentions to seek reelection?
We conducted an exploratory sequential mixed-methods design in California. First, we completed in-depth case studies of 10 SBMs (2023–2024), including interviews, audio diaries, and observations. These findings informed a statewide survey distributed to a near-census of SBMs and administered from May to July 2025 (n=801; 17.5% response rate). Survey data are analyzed descriptively and using regression models to examine associations between political challenges and reelection intent.

Preliminary findings indicate that SBMs have been experiencing strain from Big P politics related to recent changes to federal policy, while everyday little p politics have remained pervasive and consequential. In contrast, political challenges related to high-profile culture war issues were much less prevalent. A majority of respondents reported encountering significant political challenges related to declining enrollment, interpersonal conflict with fellow board members, and labor disputes. Qualitative data reveal that these dynamics include power struggles among board members, recall efforts, and tensions between personal convictions and constituent pressures. These experiences generate significant emotional labor, with SBMs describing stress, public hostility, and reputational risks associated with board service.

These findings have important implications for policy and practice. Efforts to support school board governance often focus on high-profile national debates, but our results suggest that strengthening local governance capacity around conflict navigation, communication, and board relations, as well as supporting local leaders through shifts in federal policy, may be more critical. By distinguishing between Big P and little p politics, this study provides a more nuanced understanding of how political pressures operate across levels and how they shape the stability of local education governance.

Authors

• Jeimee Ivonne Estrada-Miller, University of California, Riverside
  Presenting Author

• Beth E. Schueler, University of Virginia
  Non-Presenting Co-Author