Do we need school districts?

Young, Alice

ET-Government and Professions

Do we need school districts?
Levin, B. (2013). Do we need school districts?. Phi Delta Kappan, 94(5), 74-75.

The article reflects on the value of local school districts, focusing on the ways in which they function in several countries including Australia, the Netherlands, Canada, and the U.S. Topics include the roles districts serve between federal governments and schools, the roles of school boards and educational law, as well as the role Norway's and Denmark's municipalities serve regarding the achievement gap.

The author presents some issues for the bureaucracy in school districts as well as the different governance approaches of this middle tier in different regions. Although there are continual attempts in experimenting with changes for some countries, such as board appointed by mayors have replaced elected school boards, the value of these strategies are far from conclusive. Levin mentions two main elements that may seem important. First , there must be effective forums for political dialogue among the parties, and the second requirement is capacity building, not just for district leaders, but also for local elected officials, so they can understand their responsibilities and their potential to contribute to strong school systems.