Public School Governance and Democracy: Does Public Participation Matter?

Abstract

Public participation in public school governance is an especially pertinent issue in light of recent trends in several large cities favoring centralized mayoral control of schools. Such governance change highlights the roles of local, state and federal governments as well as public and private actors, in developing and driving educational policy and practice. This article examines the question of public participation in public school governance from the perspective of theories of democratic participation, as they relate to practical realities of public school governance. It considers various models of public school governance, explores historical trends, from local to centralized control and back again, and examines the purposes public participation is meant to serve. The article focuses on New York City and other cities that recently converted to centralized mayoral control of public schools and argues that governance models should be designed to strengthen and improve public education as a public responsibility.

Keywords: Public Education, Governance, Mayoral Control, Democratic Theory, Democratic Participation