Governing K–12 Education

Education governance refers to the formal institutions and actors that wield authority to influence education policy, bureaucratic outputs, and student outcomes in some defined jurisdiction, such as schools, school districts, or states. This chapter defines education governance and describes its importance before then exploring contemporary research in three broad areas: traditional institutions that have governed education; newly empowered forces that have eroded traditional forms of governance; and new forms and dynamics that are reshaping and replacing the traditional forms. Considering those themes reveals additional avenues for research on education governance, focusing on the continued jostling of governing institutions, governance capacity, and how developments in governance are altering education politics.

Keywords: governance; institutions; federalism; intergovernmental relations; education exceptionalism