School Boards

Read more about the local officials who work with the district superintendent to run their school district
Board members speak during a school board meeting on Monday, Aug. 18, 2025 , at Fayette County Public Schools Central Office in Lexington, Ky.
Board members speak during a school board meeting on Aug. 18, 2025, at Fayette County Public Schools Central Office in Lexington, Ky. About 44% of school board members across the country have never worked in K-12 education before, according to a new EdWeek Research Center survey.
Christian Kantosky/Lexington Herald-Leader via TNS
School & District Management Most School Board Members Lack K-12 Work Experience. That May Be a Good Thing
Board members of all professional backgrounds can be useful, experts say
Caitlynn Peetz Stephens, October 28, 2026
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4 min read
Yair Lev, center, attends a Lower Merion Board of School Directors meeting in the Lower Merion School District Administration Building on Monday, May 11, 2026, in Ardmore, Pa.
A school board meeting of the Lower Merion school district in Ardmore, Pa., is shown on May 11, 2026. A new study finds that teachers' unions are competing with a growing array of actors for influence in school board elections.
Joe Lamberti/AP
School & District Management Teachers' Unions Face More Competition for Influence in School Board Elections
A study suggests that parents are perceived as more influential by board members than unions.
Mark Walsh, October 16, 2026
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4 min read
LOS ANGELES, CA - APRIL 21, 2026 : A board meeting at the Los Angeles Unified School District headquarters on Tuesday, April 21, 2026 , in Los Angeles, CA. The LAUSD met to discuss a resolution calling for development of a Screen Time Policy setting time limits by grade, including elimination of student digital devices for early education through first-grade, prohibiting device use by elementary and middle school students during passing periods, lunch and recess. The board unanimously voted to approve Board Member Nick Melvoin's Resolution to limit student screen time.
The Los Angeles Unified School District school board meets on April 21, 2026, to discuss whether to develop a policy to limit students' screen time. A new EdWeek Research Center survey shows that many school board members nationwide are retired and have never worked in K-12 education.
Kayla Bartkowski/Los Angeles Times
School & District Management From Our Research Center What We Know About School Board Members, In Charts
Many school board members are retired and have never worked in education before, survey shows.
Caitlynn Peetz Stephens, October 6, 2026
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1 min read
A collage-style illustration of a photo of raised hands at a meeting and a grid of three smaller images overlaid on a piece grid paper, showing the patch of an ICE agent's vest, two young students holding a pride flag, and a stack of books. Clippings of ballots with "yes" and "no" boxes filled out are also placed on the grid paper.
Illustration by Emily Wright for Education Week + Getty
School & District Management ‘Are They Getting Distracted?’: A New Spotlight on How School Boards Vote
A national dashboard will track school boards’ voting records on contentious issues.
Olina Banerji, September 25, 2026
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5 min read
092026 BIG IDEAS Building bridges
Vanessa Solis/Education Week + Getty
School & District Management From Our Research Center Misinformation Drives Communities Apart. Here’s How School Boards Are Responding
Both national and local issues can force leaders to confront challenges within their districts.
Caitlynn Peetz Stephens & Vanessa Solis, September 8, 2026
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4 min read
big ideas jones
School & District Management Opinion The Question That Guided This School District Through an Impossible Decision
Declining enrollment reshaped her district. This school board member has lessons for other leaders.
Chelsey Jones, September 8, 2026
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5 min read
big ideas qual v3
School & District Management Opinion For This School Board President, Leadership Starts With Humility
Amid a big transition, active communication helped this leader hold the community together.
Mark Qual, September 8, 2026
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4 min read
Members of the school board sit on stage in the school auditorium to respond to questions from residents during the annual Town Meeting, on March 5, 2024, in Stowe, Vt. Town Meeting is a tradition that, in Vermont, dates back more than 250 years, to before the founding of the republic. But it is under threat. Many people feel they no longer have the time or ability to attend such meetings. Last year, residents of neighboring Morristown voted to switch to a secret ballot system, ending their town meeting tradition.
Members of the school board sit on stage in the school auditorium to respond to questions from residents during the annual Town Meeting, on March 5, 2024, in Stowe, Vt. A new survey suggests that political conflict that rose during the pandemic has remained relatively high for many school boards across the country.
Robert F. Bukaty/AP
School & District Management How School Board Members Really Feel About Political Conflict
Political tensions remain high for many school boards across the country, new survey data show.
Evie Blad, June 25, 2026
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3 min read
Seminole County, Fla., deputies remove parent Chris Mink of Apopka from an emergency meeting of the Seminole County School Board in Sanford, Fla., Thursday, Sept. 2, 2021. Mink, the parent of a Bear Lake Elementary School student, opposes a call for mask mandates for Seminole schools and was escorted out for shouting during the standing-room only meeting.
Seminole County, Fla., deputies remove parent Chris Mink of Apopka from an emergency meeting of the county school board in Sanford, Fla., Sept. 2, 2021, after he opposed a call for mask mandates and shouted. A new report gives a national picture of how school board conflict, including between boards and their communities, rose during the pandemic.
Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel via AP
School & District Management School Board Conflict Surged During the Pandemic. Has It Gone Away?
New research reveals how school boards navigated heightened levels of conflict in recent years.
Evie Blad, June 8, 2026
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5 min read
The United States Capitol building as a bookcase filled with red, white, and blue policy books in a Washington DC landscape.
Luca D'Urbino for Education Week
School & District Management Opinion Have Politics Hijacked Education Policy?
School boards should be held more accountable to student learning, says this scholar.
Rick Hess, December 2, 2025
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8 min read
Democrat Jay Jones speaks on stage at an election night watch party for Democrat Abigail Spanberger after Jones was declared the winner of the Virginia attorney general's race Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025, in Richmond, Va.
Democrat Jay Jones speaks on stage after he was declared the winner of the Virginia attorney general's race Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025, in Richmond, Va. As attorney general, Jones could join multistate coalitions of Democratic state attorneys general suing the Trump administration over its education policies.
AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough
States 4 Education-Related Takeaways From This Week's Elections
How results from Tuesday could affect K-12 schools, and the trajectory of Trump's education policies.
Brooke Schultz, November 5, 2025
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5 min read
Illustration of silhouetted businessman and businesswoman shaking hands as a part of a speech bubble is broken down to suggest better communication
iStock/Getty
School & District Management What Helps—and Hurts—Relationships Between School Boards and Superintendents
Clear roles and frequent communication can strengthen relationships between school boards and superintendents.
Evie Blad, September 8, 2025
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3 min read
A Midland ISD employee walks past the front of Legacy High School on Thursday, Aug. 7, 2025, in Midland.
A Midland ISD employee walks past the front of Legacy High School on Thursday, Aug. 7, 2025, in Midland, Texas. The district's board voted to restore a Confederate general's name to two of its schools.
Eli Hartman for The Texas Tribune
Equity & Diversity Another District Restores a Confederate Name to Its Schools
The district dropped Robert E. Lee's name from two buildings in 2020. The Lee name will be back for the 2026-27 year.
Brooke Schultz, August 13, 2025
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5 min read
Houston ISD's appointed school board votes on the "District of Innovation" status during their monthly work session meeting at HISD Central Office on Sept. 7, 2023 in Houston.
Houston's appointed school board takes a vote during a meeting on Sept. 7, 2023 in the district's central office. A number of studies from recent years have answered questions about school boards' makeup, how competitive board elections are, whether conflict is on the rise, and more.
Karen Warren/Houston Chronicle via AP
School & District Management What the Research Says About School Boards: How Much Conflict Really Is There?
Plus, how competitive are board elections? How much do teachers' union endorsements matter?
Caitlynn Peetz Stephens, July 3, 2025
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7 min read