Urban Governance and Public Education: Intergovernmental Relations and School Renewal in Oklahoma City

Abstract

This study examines political and interagency activity between two governments, a general-purpose urban municipality and a single purpose Great City School System in the United States. The investigation focuses on the relationship between schooling and community revitalization, drawing on political science perspectives on the expanding role of general-purpose government in public education. A strategic, instrumental mixed methods case study is applied to a Metropolitan Area Projects (MAPS) for Kids initiative in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Qualitative interview and documentary evidence are combined with public opinion polling to examine both elite motivations and community perceptions surrounding the initiative. Findings indicate that authority and decision making may be too diffuse for general purpose government to realize comprehensive urban school renewal when authority is shared across multiple governing institutions and that public perception of municipal government influence on its school district is more about positive impression than substantive change. At the same time, the case illustrates how municipal involvement in school infrastructure initiatives can help restore political legitimacy for a school district even when deeper instructional reforms remain outside the scope of municipal governance.