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Chapter 2: School Governance and Control 

Glossary of Key Terms

A

Accountability to the public - A concept where schools are directly accountable to citizens and communities rather than to distant state or federal authorities through technical-managerial processes.

Administrative progressives - Early 20th century reformers who believed schools should be organized like corporations using scientific management principles and centralized expert control to achieve efficiency.

B

Block grants - Federal grants that allow more state and local discretion in spending federal funds, with fewer restrictions than categorical grants.

Bureaucratic - Organizational structures characterized by hierarchical authority, specialized roles, formal rules, and centralized control—often criticized for limiting flexibility and innovation.

C

Categorical grants - Federal funding designated for narrowly defined purposes and programs (e.g., special education, compensatory education) rather than general educational support.

Charter schools - Publicly funded schools that operate independently of local school boards with greater flexibility in exchange for accountability to parents and authorizers.

Consumerization of citizenship - The redefinition of citizens as consumers in market-based education reform, emphasizing customer preferences and market competition over democratic participation and common good.

E

Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) - Federal legislation signed in 2015 that reauthorized ESEA and attempted to return accountability authority from the federal government back to states, requiring each state to develop its own accountability plan.

G

General grants - Funding provided (typically by state and local governments) for broad educational purposes with fewer restrictions than categorical grants.

I

Ideological orientation - A set of beliefs about social institutions, human behavior, and knowledge that shapes how people approach problems and solutions; administrative progressives held an ideological orientation toward scientific management and efficiency.

Instructional leader - A role of school principals focused on encouraging professional growth, innovation in teaching, and commitment to educational goals.

J

John Dewey - Philosopher and educator associated with pedagogical progressivism who believed schools should operate as learning communities with democratic social spirit, emphasizing both individual and social needs of children.

L

Local control - The operational mode of school governance where significant authority rests with local communities, school boards, and citizens rather than state or federal authorities.

Local school boards - Elected or appointed citizen bodies (typically 5-9 members) that set local education policy, hire superintendents, approve budgets, and represent community interests in school governance.

Local school districts - Geographic areas with their own governance structure including a school board, superintendent, administrative staff, and network of schools (also called school divisions in some states).

Local superintendents - Chief executive officers of local school districts, hired by school boards to manage daily operations, implement board policy, and provide professional advice on educational matters.

M

Magnet schools - Public schools that specialize in particular areas of study (such as STEM or arts) and were originally designed to promote integration by attracting families from different income neighborhoods.

N

National School Boards Association (NSBA) - Organization representing school boards nationwide that identifies key responsibilities including employing superintendents, developing policies and curriculum, overseeing facilities, and adopting collective bargaining agreements.

No Child Left Behind (NCLB) - Federal legislation signed in 2002 under President George W. Bush that required annual testing, adequate yearly progress, and sanctions for underperforming schools, representing strong federal oversight of education.

O

Open enrollment - A school choice system that allows families to choose public schools outside their assigned school district or attendance zone.

P

Pedagogical progressives - Early 20th century reformers who emphasized child-centered education, learning through experience, and democratic approaches to schooling (contrasted with administrative progressives).

Power of the purse - The influence exercised through control of funding; refers particularly to how Congress exerts control over education despite limited constitutional authority.

Privatization - The movement toward greater private sector involvement in education through charter schools, voucher plans, and weakening of traditional public school structures—often accompanied by erosion of teachers' unions.

Professional learning communities - Organizational structures in schools where teachers work collaboratively, typically organized by departments at secondary level or grade levels at elementary level.

S

School administrator - A role of school principals focused on managing professional staff, students, programs, community relationships, and general operations of the school.

School choice - Programs that allow families to use public money to attend schools beyond their locally assigned public school, including options like charter schools, magnet schools, vouchers, and open enrollment.

School committee - Historical term (particularly in New England) for local governing bodies responsible for schools; precursor to modern school boards.

Special interests - Groups or individuals who advocate for particular causes or ideologies and attempt to influence school governance through lobbying, public meetings, media campaigns, and other means.

State board of education - State-level body that provides oversight and sets educational policy, adopts standards, and approves curriculum at the state level.

State department of education - State agency responsible for implementing educational policies, regulations, and general operations as determined by state law and the state board.

State superintendent - Chief state school officer who implements state education policy and oversees the state department of education (elected in 14 states, appointed in others).

Superintendent - Chief executive officer of a school system responsible for managing operations, implementing board policy, and providing educational leadership (can refer to local or state level).

T

Technical-managerial accountability - A market-style approach to accountability focused on auditable accounts reviewed by state or federal authorities rather than democratic accountability to parents and communities.

V

Voucher plans - School choice programs that provide government funds (vouchers) for families to use toward private school tuition or other educational expenses like tutoring or homeschooling materials.