1 The politics of urban education as a field of study: an interpretive analysis

Researchers in the field of urban education politics have much in agreement ‐ they refute the notion of bureaucratic insulation in school policy making, connect the school to its broader political and economic community, and address the effects of school governance on race relations, governmental legitimacy and political representation. At the same time, approaching the field with different disciplinary backgrounds and substantive interests, researchers have offered competing frameworks in analysing school politics. In my view, disagreements and consensus within the field can be better appreciated if the diverse approaches and their substantive findings are understood in the proper context of the school policy organization ‐ the way power is allocated between the top of the system and the school site and the way clientele are involved in schooling decisions. In this partial review of the literature, I shall propose an integrative framework that specifies the circumstances under which different kinds of politics occur. The final section will explore research and policy implications.