Democracy Thwarted or Democracy at Work? Local Public Engagement and the New Education Policy Landscape

In recent decades, changes to the education policy landscape have made local public engagement more difficult. Among these changes are increased centralization of policy making, the rise of school choice, and mayoral and state takeovers of urban school districts. Philadelphia is at the vanguard of these changes. We discuss how community-based organizations in Philadelphia responded to the challenges of this new landscape by adapting their tactics and strategies. Adaptations include reconceptualizing targets, identifying new targets, retooling premises and strategies for building coalitions, cultivating new constituencies, entwining community education with community-based action, and making equity and community engagement central to the platforms of candidates for elective office. The study broadens our understanding of how organizations seek a voice in education decision making.