Critically Examining Policy Workers and Policy Work Within State Boards of Education

Abstract

This chapter outlines a set of critical policy studies focused on State Boards of Education, a policy entity that has received extremely little attention from the research community, traditional and critical alike. The chapter opens with an overview of research that has been conducted on state boards, the majority of which is offered through a traditional perspective. The remainder of the chapter is divided into three sections that outline inquiry projects focused on state boards. The first sub-section outlines a critical historical analysis, a core strategy of critical theorists interested in the historical roots and evolution of institutions, norms, and beliefs. The second sub-section explores how critical feminist theory could be used to examine the power and authority of state boards and individual members. The third sub-section suggests an analysis of state boards as policy actors, including governing models, policy roles, responsibilities and authorities, and policy actor interactions and networks.