Organizations that deliver public education – from public school districts to state universities – are among the largest and most complex bureaucracies in the world. The scale and complexity of their operation can present challenges to even the most seasoned administrators, and those challenges are magnified by the politics of public education. As schools are pushed more than ever before to adopt reforms that reduce costs and improve student outcomes, leaders need to be equipped with knowledge about what works and how to achieve it. This panel brings together four papers that tackle different aspects of the management and politics of public education in an era of reform.

Two of the papers address specific reforms that have been introduced to make schools more effective. The first tackles a salient type of reform – school closure – using a regression discontinuity design to evaluate the impact on student outcomes in Ohio. The second paper addresses a different type of reform – student-based budgeting – using the synthetic control method to examine whether increased managerial discretion results in better student outcomes in Houston public schools. These manuscripts are both rooted firmly in three literatures: political science, public management, and education policy. They produce implications for policymakers that are multidisciplinary in nature, as well as contributing to theory across all three fields.

The third paper focuses not on a reform, but rather on a growing challenge: providing access to higher education for underrepresented minority groups. This paper looks specifically at the role of department chairs in promoting diversity initiatives, drawing upon an NSF survey of chairs at research-focused universities. This manuscript is framed using the theory of representative bureaucracy, but it also draws upon research in postsecondary education policy and public management as well.

Finally, the fourth paper by considers how leadership can be selected to ensure that reforms and challenges like those above are managed as effectively as possible. Their paper examines the role of managerial fit in the recruitment and selection of university presidents, drawing from research in organization theory, political science, and education policy to formulate hypotheses about how presidents are selected.

As a group, the four manuscripts offer evidence on important aspects of the politics and management of public education. Our proposed discussant is a seasoned education policy professional who has held positions at the American Association of State Colleges & Universities, National Governors Association, and is now a Senior Program Officer with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. This should facilitate a session that bridges theory and practice, appealing to both academics and practitioners alike.