The Politics of Power in Education

 

As I continue to learn more about the administration of K-12 education, I am increasingly surprised at the many complications that professional educators and administrators face. As a parent, I am grateful for the education to which my children have had access. I have watched my children go through the US education system in multiple states, and I am increasingly grateful for the teachers, administrators, school board members, legislators, and others who contribute to quality education systems around our country. I was an active parent in my children’s classrooms but was largely unaware of how the district was being governed, how the state played into the local administration of our schools, and how other outside interests sought to promote their own agendas or to attain some level of influence on the local level.

Of course, creating a quality educational system is a challenging and complicated undertaking. We may all agree that we are trying to create a quality education system, but power, politics, and money can also all play into people’s motives. Additionally, there are a lot of factions that have an interest in the design and operation of school systems. Students, families, teachers, business, lobbies, the school board, community members, taxpayers…the list is lengthy. The schools are a core part of a community and their identity, and a lot of people need to have their interests represented.

Schools are also a nexus of funding, coming from federal, state, and local levels.  And, when money is on the table, it tends to pique interests all around. These interests can lead to unintended consequences that may not relate directly to School districts also have a triple layer of authority. While there is a primary focus on local governance, state and federal oversight also play a significant role and can pressure school districts with agendas of their own.

Although the support structure of power in school districts may be composed of a variety of volunteers, paid administrators, and politicians, local school boards tend to be primarily dominated by white men, which reinforces other existing power structures in government and business https://livehandbook.org/k-12-education/governance-of-schools/school-boards/. These power structures risk overrepresenting the interests of those in power and reinforcing privileges and inequalities.