Democratic (Dis)engagement in school district decentralization: A critical analysis of actors and coalitions

Leaders of education policy continue to decentralize school districts, particularly in predominately large urban districts, despite mixed results from this reform. In this article, we seek to explain how decentralization came to fruition through the policymaking process in one of the largest and most diverse districts in the United States that serves urban, suburban, and rural communities. Employing concepts related to advocacy coalitions and critical policy analysis, our analysis suggests that the policymaking process to decentralize this district was complex, messy, and political with clear delineations between those voices that were (un)heard and (un)involved.