WE THINK DIFFERENTLY”: STUDENT REPRESENTATION AND VOICE AT THE LOS ANGELES UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT BOARD OF EDUCATION

Abstract

This article reports findings from a study that examined the addition of a student representative to the membership of the LAUSD school board in 2016, after the absence of such a position for many years. Using a framework drawn from critical theories of youth empowerment and critical discourse analysis, we examined data collected from three primary sources: 1) field notes from school board meetings attended in person or from review of recorded video archives, 2) local media coverage and district press releases, and 3) official recruitment and application documents that guide the student representative selection process. Based on our findings, we discuss emergent themes from the data that revealed contradictory messaging about the agency of youth in Los Angeles generally, and educational policy in the school district more specifically. This analysis highlights broader tensions around the (f)utility of advocating for change from within and outside formal policy structures. Our research demonstrates the ways that current practices allow school district leadership to benefit from the optics of student presence, but do not truly allow participation of students in decision making. We conclude with recommendations for policy and practice that offer expanded opportunity for student engagement with the official leadership processes of the second largest public school district in the United States.