{"schema_version":"bf_book_companion_v1","release_id":"20261010T034321Z-reviewed-full-unique-works","book":{"amazon_purchase_url":"https://www.amazon.com/dp/0262552728?tag=bookfrontie00-20","asin":"0262552728","authors":["Scott R. Levy"],"book_id":"9780262552721","canonical_url":"https://bookfrontier.com/books/why-school-boards-matter-9780262552721","cover_image_url":"https://img.bookfrontier.com/9780262552721.jpg?v=d96ac3c200dac0ff","description":"How school boards are uniquely positioned to strengthen our public education system and our democracy. In Virginia, a contentious school board meeting led to an arrest and trespassing summons. In Utah, eleven people were charged with disorderly conduct after a board meeting turned chaotic. Not long ago, school boards conducted mundane district business. Understudied and underreported, they were an afterthought of centrally driven education reform efforts. Now, across blue, purple, and red states, school boards have become the epicenter of heated debates, reflecting society’s deep divisions. In Why School Boards Matter , Scott Levy challenges conventional wisdom by reminding us of the essential role school boards play. While battles in the boardroom may be uncomfortable, they exemplify how passionate Americans are about education. As policymakers debate the federal government’s role in K-12 and states pursue sharply divergent policies, Levy offers a roadmap that empowers school boards to tackle intractable public education challenges, including initiative fatigue, district climate, and accountability. School boards are where theory meets practice, where federal and state requirements converge with local policies, and where constituents can advocate for important issues affecting our children today. Every K-12 stakeholder—administrators, teachers, parents, and students alike—has a vested interest in understanding how school boards shape education.","forthcoming":false,"isbn13":"9780262552721","publication_date":"20250909","publisher":"MIT Press","slug":"why-school-boards-matter","subtitle":"Reclaiming the Heart of American Education and Democracy","title":"Why School Boards Matter"},"discovery":{"categories":{"all":[{"bisac_code":"EDU001040","confidence_band":"high","label":"Principals & Superintendents","score":0.8713,"source":"bisac_hint_model"},{"bisac_code":"EDU034030","confidence_band":"medium","label":"Federal Education Policy","score":0.8151,"source":"bisac_hint_model"},{"bisac_code":"EDU034010","confidence_band":"medium","label":"School Safety","score":0.7892,"source":"bisac_hint_model"}],"hint":[{"bisac_code":"EDU001040","confidence_band":"high","label":"Principals & Superintendents","score":0.8713,"source":"bisac_hint_model"},{"bisac_code":"EDU034030","confidence_band":"medium","label":"Federal Education Policy","score":0.8151,"source":"bisac_hint_model"},{"bisac_code":"EDU034010","confidence_band":"medium","label":"School Safety","score":0.7892,"source":"bisac_hint_model"}],"publisher":[{"bisac_code":"EDU001040","confidence_band":"high","label":"Principals & Superintendents","score":1,"source":"onix_publisher_code"},{"bisac_code":"EDU034000","confidence_band":"high","label":"Education Policy","score":1,"source":"onix_publisher_code"},{"bisac_code":"POL040040","confidence_band":"high","label":"Local Government","score":1,"source":"onix_publisher_code"}]},"genres":[{"label":"Principals & Superintendents","score":0.8713,"slug":"principals-superintendents"},{"label":"Federal Education Policy","score":0.8151,"slug":"federal-education-policy"},{"label":"School Safety","score":0.7892,"slug":"school-safety"}],"reader_fit":["K–12 stakeholders seeking to understand how school boards shape education"],"related_lists":[],"series":null,"similar_books":[{"authors":["Diane Ravitch"],"book_id":"9780345806352","cover_image_url":"https://img.bookfrontier.com/9780345806352.jpg?v=de2b01f277ac0de3","score":0.723,"title":"Reign of Error","url":"https://bookfrontier.com/books/9780345806352"},{"authors":["Thomas Sowell"],"book_id":"9780743254083","cover_image_url":"https://img.bookfrontier.com/9780743254083.jpg?v=a7d53600eb3ee672","score":0.7117,"title":"Inside American Education","url":"https://bookfrontier.com/books/9780743254083"},{"authors":["James Traub"],"book_id":"9781324079514","cover_image_url":"https://img.bookfrontier.com/9781324079514.jpg?v=ab06d22a37010a4d","score":0.7112,"title":"The Cradle of Citizenship","url":"https://bookfrontier.com/books/9781324079514"},{"authors":["Mark Naison"],"book_id":"9781608463619","cover_image_url":"https://img.bookfrontier.com/9781608463619.jpg?v=74f11dedf6627231","score":0.6885,"title":"Badass Teachers Unite!","url":"https://bookfrontier.com/books/9781608463619"},{"authors":["Michael Fullan"],"book_id":"9781119890270","cover_image_url":"https://img.bookfrontier.com/9781119890270.jpg?v=342011d898910259","score":0.6734,"title":"The Principal 2.0","url":"https://bookfrontier.com/books/9781119890270"},{"authors":["David Zweig"],"book_id":"9780262549158","cover_image_url":"https://img.bookfrontier.com/9780262549158.jpg?v=36cfab9a25775de5","score":0.6671,"title":"An Abundance of Caution","url":"https://bookfrontier.com/books/9780262549158"},{"authors":["Annette Fuentes"],"book_id":"9781844674077","cover_image_url":"https://img.bookfrontier.com/9781844674077.jpg?v=886a95b6ffd57e79","score":0.6658,"title":"Lockdown High","url":"https://bookfrontier.com/books/9781844674077"},{"authors":["David Franklin"],"book_id":"9781394170883","cover_image_url":"https://img.bookfrontier.com/9781394170883.jpg?v=9057ba1c569d6ed9","score":0.6651,"title":"Advice From the Principal's Desk","url":"https://bookfrontier.com/books/9781394170883"}],"topics":[{"evidence_refs":["keyword:political science"],"label":"Science","score":0.1776,"slug":"science"},{"evidence_refs":["keyword:political science"],"label":"Political","score":0.0493,"slug":"political"},{"evidence_refs":["keyword:american politics"],"label":"Politics","score":0.0364,"slug":"politics"},{"evidence_refs":["keyword:education"],"label":"Education","score":0.0309,"slug":"education"}],"what_you_get":["Themes: School board governance, Public education policy, Education and democracy.","Themes: Science, Political, Politics.","Reading lane: Principals & Superintendents and Federal Education Policy."]},"llm_signals":{"confidence":0.92,"pacing":"unknown","reader_fit":["K–12 stakeholders seeking to understand how school boards shape education"],"themes":["School board governance","Public education policy","Education and democracy"],"tropes":[]},"source_presence":{"amazon":true,"book_detail":true,"goodreads":true,"llm_signals":true,"similarity_seed":true},"stats":{"amazon_ratings_count":7,"goodreads_ratings_count":2,"goodreads_reviews_count":1,"quality_score":0.8234}}