State and local governments oversee public schools and curriculum, enforce state and federal regulations, and supervise staff pay and budget allocation. Elected school board members additionally have considerable influence over educational policy. As a result, civic engagement can play a critical role in addressing educational shortfalls and adjudicating priorities among community members. State governments control educational funding for public colleges and universities. County governments exert further sway by setting the geographical boundaries for a student’s school designation
Henry (Hal) Cardwell, who earned a Ph.D. in geography and environmental engineering from Johns Hopkins University, has always been interested in systems. He recently finished a 3-year term as an elected school board official in the City of Alexandria, VA, applying this interest to a school district with 15,000 students.
Philip (Bo) Hammer, a Ph.D. in physics, has an abiding interest in applying his expertise to science policy and education. Outside of his day job with the American Institute of Physics, he previously served two elected terms on a local school board in New Jersey.
Holly Williams believes outreach experiences are the perfect way to cut your teeth on community engagement. She has volunteered at the California Academy of Sciences as a science educator for nearly two years now. In this month's Story, she describes how she leveraged her STEM background in small ways and still made a big impact.
