Date of Award

Spring 5-7-2026

Document Type

Dissertation (799 registration)

Degree Name

Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership

Department

Graduate Studies

Committee Chair

Boyd Bradbury

Keywords

Public education, K-12 education, school boards, boards of education, school culture, school climate, public policy, education governance, education reform, education policy, education politics, local politics, critical theory, neoliberalism, case study research, qualitative research, critical pedagogy

Abstract

This study examines how ideology operates within local education governance through a critical theoretical lens. As state and national education policies, accountability mandates, and partisan political discourse increasingly shape local school governance, this research investigates how power relations, ideological influences, and equity concerns are embedded in school board decision-making processes and public discourse. Addressing a gap in existing scholarship on ideology in education governance, the study employs a qualitative case study of an urban public school district in the Midwestern United States. Data sources include individual interviews with school board members, critical discourse analysis of school board meetings, and analysis of governance documents and media texts. The findings illuminate how ideology often functions implicitly through claims of neutrality, procedural compliance, efficiency, and technocratic authority, contributing to the marginalization of community voices and uneven equity outcomes. The study also examines moments of resistance and dialogical engagement as communities navigate these constraints. By making ideological dynamics visible at the local level, this research contributes to a deeper understanding of democratic governance in education and offers implications for fostering more inclusive, dialogical, and equity-centered governance practices within existing structural limits.

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