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You don’t live in Oz and your school board is not the Wizard.
Folks it’s election time and school board races are among the most important local votes. But let’s be clear about the promises school board candidates can make. Because your school board is not the Wizard and you don’t live in Oz.
No one group should have full authority in our government and it’s the same way for our schools. In most cases school boards exist to approve budgets and policies. They also evaluate the superintendent.
That, my friends is it.
They do not decide on what standards are taught, what curriculum is established, and what state policies are upheld. Further, they don’t decide how schools will operate. They don’t decide what pedagogical methods are used or what evidence base informs those methods.
They don’t get into the weeds of operations and hear me when I say that is a good thing.
School boards exists as a policy making organization. And as anyone in education will tell you, the line between policy and implementation is a thick one. So why is it a good thing that school boards don’t get into the weeds? Because there is absolutely no guarantee that your school board knows anything about education, assessment, school finance law, and so much more. They are probably not keeping up with learning science unless they…
