Active Citizenship and the Governing of Schoolsaa

* Should school governors be seen as active citizens or state volunteers?

* Can recent educational reforms and changes in the status of school governing bodies
be seen as part of a wider political process?

Are all the activities of school governance equally open to both men and women and to members of minority ethnic groups?

Active Citizenship and the Governing of Schools draws on recent research evidence and theories from sociology, political science, gender studies and organizational analysis to answer these and many other questions.

The book examines whether educational reforms are attributable to 'new right' ideologies or to broader notions of 'new managerialism', before looking critically at concepts of active citizenship, what constitutes lay administration of schools, and the knowledge resources drawn upon by lay school governors. Careful attention is paid to issues of class, gender and ethnicity, and the voices of both governors and teachers are heard throughout.

The book will be relevant to anyone concerned with critical public policy, the governance and management of schools and/or educational reform, including school governors, teachers and headteachers, policy makers and politicians. All three authors are experienced school governors.