Kenneth J. Meier is the Charles H. Gregory Chair in Liberal Arts and Distinguished Professor of Political Science at Texas A & M University. He is also a Professor of Public Management at the Cardiff University School of Business. He was formerly the editor-in-chief of the Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory and the editor of the American Journal of Political Science. He is the founding editor of Perspectives on Public Management and Governance. Amanda Rutherford is an assistant professor in the School of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University. She is the book review editor for the Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory and is a member of the Rising Professionals Editorial Board for the Journal of Student Financial Aid. Rutherford's research interests include managerial values and decision making, performance management, organization theory, representative bureaucracy, higher education policy, and research methodology.

• 1. Representation, partisanship and equality in education; 2. Two myths: separate but equal and nonpartisan education; 3. The politics of African-American school board representation: partisanship, structure and resources; 4. Race and the street level bureaucrats: with a little help from my friends; 5. Partisanship, teacher representation and access to education opportunities; 6. Race, politics and student learning; 7. Can you beat the ovarian lottery?

'The deep and broad impact of political party context on local education outcomes for racial minorities, which Meier and Rutherford carefully delineate and document, is striking. This well-crafted and provocative study deserves close attention from scholars, policy makers, and, indeed, all who care about American democracy.' Rodney Hero, University of California, Berkeley