Districts’ responses to demographic change: Making sense of race, class, and immigration in political and organizational Context

ing poverty, the growing number of students from immigrant families, and increasing populations of students of color. Yet, we know little about how dis-trict policymakers react to these important changes or indeed the factors that consistently shape their policymaking. Drawing on interpretative policy analysis, the politics of education, and in-depth interviews with 37 school board members, superintendents, and district administrators across two school districts, I argue that racial meaning emerged as central in both dis-tricts ’ policymaking processes as political and organizational contexts inter-acted to shape district leaders ’ meaning-making and policy responses. Yet, leaders ’ meaning-making and policy responses obscured systematic inequal-ities in students ’ lives, including those stemming from race, immigration, and poverty. I conclude with implications of this analysis for understanding school district policymaking and how to improve schooling for students of color, students in poverty, and immigrant students