From our journals: Rural school boards, the immigrant educational experience and getting students to chill out
Tell them local control is important”: A case study of democratic, community-centered school boards
By: Daniella Hall Sutherland, Clemson University
Published in: Education Policy Analysis Archives, December 2022
Democratically elected school boards in the U.S. play a crucial role in school governance because they enable community voice in educational practices and programs. Research on locally controlled boards finds they can be undemocratic and unproductive, but little research has been conducted in rural or small towns, where local control persists through formal and informal means. This qualitative case study examines two rural, locally controlled school boards to understand how they engage in community-centered democratic governance, and to what extent they influence the technical core of schooling. The process of developing and approving school district budgets is used as illustrative examples of the enactment of local control. The findings from this study explain how small, locally controlled school boards employ elements of democratic governance, and how their community governance influences the technical core of schooling. This study offers a rural counter-narrative to previous research on local control, demonstrating that local control enacted by school boards can be an effective democratic practice that shapes teaching and learning in public schools. The researchers offer recommended practices non-rural school boards and communities can employ to expand democratic participation in their schools, as well as future directions for research.
By: Samantha Y. Harris, University of California Santa Barbara
Published in: Education Review, Dec. 13, 2022
In reviewing this book by Jack Leonard and R. Martin Reardon, Harris writes, “For readers who are involved in their own school-university-community collaborative efforts, this collection might serve as an informative how-to guide.” As a researcher-educator involved in such collaborations, Harris says that the success stories, such as moments when immigrant students experienced not only belonging but were able to become a part of “place-making” through civic engagement and social justice were highlights of this volume. The authors of this book, writes Harris, “are transparent about the realities of conducting research with(in) precarious communities and during precarious times.”
“A Place Called Home” offers helpful insights through numerous examples of successful, as well as failed efforts to collaborate between schools, universities and communities, Harris says. “Perhaps its greatest contribution is the straightforward discussions of lessons learned and the practical recommendations for future collaborative initiatives.”
Teacher-Preparation Programs and Trauma-Informed Teaching Practices: Getting Students to CHILL
By: Stacy Bailey, University of Northern Colorado
Published in: Current Issues in Education, Dec. 5 2022
Educators should be prepared to address their own and their students’ social and emotional needs, but moments of tension are not the time to start. Rather, students need to be prepared to engage in meaningful ways with skills and competencies. To achieve this state of readiness, teachers can use self-regulation strategies, such as the one Bailey refers to as, “CHILL.” CHILL is an easy-to-implement, five-step process designed to reduce tension in moments of crisis and create the conditions whereby students are prepared to reengage with instruction, both with the teacher and with the class. The acronym stands for: Calm down, Hear yourself breathe, Investigate your condition, Let yourself know what you need and Let others know what you need. CHILL is designed to support both pre- and in-service teachers as they seek to negotiate tense classroom situations and build skills in self-regulation and resiliency. It’s a strategy for de-escalation that supports students and teachers in the face of student behavioral challenges.
About our journals
MLFTC sponsors three innovative, open-access journals on education scholarship. EPAA is a peer-reviewed, international, multilingual and multidisciplinary journal designed for researchers, practitioners, policymakers and development analysts concerned with education policies. Education Review publishes reviews of books on education topics and Acquired Wisdom essays by esteemed educational researchers, and CIE is a peer-reviewed journal led by MLFTC graduate students.
Contact Stephanie McBride-Schreiner to learn more about our journals.