Research Note: The 161 districts included in this research were selected using a systematic, criteria-based methodology. Districts were selected because they share a set of characteristics that make them representative of communities where these debates are often most consequential: each has an enrollment of more than 10,000 students, a moderate ideological profile, a student population that is between 10% and 50% nonwhite, and is located in a suburban or small-city area.
This research does not encompass every issue that school boards address. Our findings are based on official policy books, publicly available advocacy databases, and news coverage.
