Seats of change: An examination of how equity-focused pipelines mitigate the disproportionate racial representation of school boards

This dissertation investigates the effectiveness of a Civic Influencer workshop series in addressing barriers that prevent Black, Indigenous, Latine/x, and People of Color (BILPOC) community members from running for and winning school board seats. A mixed methods single site case study in Norwalk, Connecticut, examined the electoral process and structural factors that influence the racial composition of school boards and identified obstacles faced by BILPOC individuals. A needs assessment involving 14 surveys and 2 interviews with current and former school board members and political power players along with a historical review of the racial identity of the school board, revealed key challenges faced by BILPOC community members. To address some of these barriers, a three-part Civic Influencer workshop series was implemented and focused on increasing access to information and knowledge, fostering a supportive social network, and empowerment by recognizing the value of participants’ lived experiences. The research, centered on the experiences of BILPOC participants, also acknowledged the importance of White allies in dismantling structural, individual, and social barriers to school board representation. The workshop series demonstrated significant growth in knowledge among the 13 participants, increased empowerment, and intention to enact a number of civic engagement actions. Despite this growth, persistent concerns impacted their willingness to run for office. The findings of this study highlight the need for increased pathways to civic engagement and a more collaborative and systemic approach to dismantling the structural, individual, and social barriers that disproportionately affect BILPOC community members in their pursuit of school board seats. The results underscore the importance of targeted interventions to empower BILPOC individuals to contribute to local education governance, seek elected office, and ensure equitable descriptive and substantive representation on school boards.