The politics of district governance and equity among BIPOC school board members
With funding from The Ford Foundation, this project aims to contribute to the expansion of pathways and a stronger pipeline of Black, Indigenous and People of Color, or BIPOC, school board members committed to advancing educational equity.
Official grant name
Ford Foundation Fellowship ProgramAward amount
$50000Principal investigator
Carrie SampsonDirect sponsor
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and MedicineAward start date
08/01/2022Award end date
05/01/2023Originating sponsor
The Ford FoundationThe challenge
Most scholars believe that it is important to recruit, retain and support the development of Black, Indigenous and People of Color, or BIPOC, educators — specifically teachers, principals and superintendents. They believe that BIPOC representation matters and these educators are more likely to offer culturally relevant and sustaining pedagogies. Yet, the impact of school board governance is vastly understudied compared to the impact of teachers and educators. Not much scholarship addresses the influence of BIPOC school board members and how their representation also matters in advancing district-wide policies and practices that contribute to educational equity.
The approach
Guided by the Community Equity Literacy theoretical framework, this qualitative case study will analyze multiple data sources (e.g., interviews, school board meetings) to examine the complexities of school board governance among Black, Indigenous, and People of Color, or BIPOC, school board members. Specifically, the study — guided by Associate Professor Carrie Sampson and funded by the Ford Foundation — will analyze the experiences, perspectives, and strategies of BIPOC school board members throughout the U.S. in their efforts to advance contemporary policies and practices pertaining to educational equity, including those related to COVID-19 and the Black Lives Matter movement. The findings from this study will offer a deeper understanding of school board governance and contribute to the expansion of pathways and a stronger pipeline of BIPOC school board members committed to advancing educational equity.