
Scott R. Levy: How School Boards Can Strengthen Our Democracy
From MindShift Podcast by KQED
February 10, 2026 · 28 min
About this episode
Scott R. Levy discusses the importance of school boards in strengthening democracy and civic engagement.
In this episode KQED’s Marlena Jackson-Retondo speaks with Scott R. Levy, adjunct lecturer at Harvard’s Graduate School of Education and a former school board member, about why school boards matter more than ever. Levy’s new book, Why School Boards Matter: Reclaiming the Heart of American Education and Democracy, explains how school boards function, how their power has shifted over time and how school boards can serve as a rare space for civic engagement and democratic participation.
People in this episode
Host: Marlena Jackson-Retondo
Guest: Scott R. Levy
Topics covered
- school boards
- democracy
- civic engagement
- education
- parenting
Keywords
- school boards
- democracy
- civic engagement
- education
- Scott R. Levy
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Harvard’s Graduate School of Education
Books & works: Why School Boards Matter: Reclaiming the Heart of American Education and Democracy
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