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People hold signs during a Grossmont Union High School District board meeting in El Cajon, Calif., in July 2025. Meg McLaughlin/The San Diego Union-Tribune via Getty Images

District school boards have become political hotbeds for book bans and more – here’s what they actually do

School boards have gained attention for taking on controversial issues, such as transgender students participating in sports, but much of their work is administrative.
A crowd of parents in Orange County, Calif., protest the firing of Superintendent Gunn Marie Hansen. Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

Superintendent turnover is increasing and gender gaps are barely budging, but accurately assessing the consequences remains a challenge

New research on school superintendent turnover rates reveals that divisive political issues are contributing to the problem of instability among school leadership across the US.
A new EV schoolbus from an all-electric fleet parked beside charging stations at South El Monte High School in California, Aug. 18, 2021. Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images

Electric school buses are taking students back to school – bringing cleaner air and lower maintenance costs to school districts across the country

They look like conventional school buses, but electric versions are cleaner, quieter and cheaper to maintain. States, utilities and federal agencies are helping school districts make the switch.
The Richardson Independent School District in Texas is among the many districts across the state defying the governor’s mask mandate ban to require masks for students. AP Photo/LM Otero

Who has the power to say kids do or don’t have to wear masks in school – the governor or the school district? It’s not clear

If it sounds like the law is all over the place on school mask mandates, that’s because it is. The nation’s schools are subject to a complex web of local, state and federal laws.
Money from the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan could go toward much-needed improvements to crumbling public school buildings. Erin Clark for The Boston Globe via Getty Images

America gets a D+ for school infrastructure ‑ but federal COVID relief could pay for many repairs

The unprecedented wave of federal funding could be used to modernize public schools – the second-largest public infrastructure in our nation, behind only highways.
The State of Texas is in a legal battle to seize power from the Houston public school board. Eakrin Rasadonyindee/Shutterstock.com

The made‑up crisis behind the state takeover of Houston’s public schools

While the state of Texas says it is taking over the Houston school system in the name of school improvement, an expert argues the move is motivated by racism and political power struggles.

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