• Civic education as a driver of democratic participation across schooling and beyond, highlighting civics curricula, ballot initiatives, and youth engagement with long-term political efficacy [1], [8], [20], [5], [16].

• Charter school policy design and governance: the tradeoff between flexibility and accountability shaping charter formation, school governance, activism, and the public understanding of what constitutes a public school [3], [4], [13], [14].

• Funding equity and policy reform: centralized funding versus local control, intra- and inter-district disparities, and policy implications for educational equity [12], [9], [11].

• Media, discourse, and deliberation in education policy: media’s role in informing publics and shaping policy debates around education [18], [7].

• Inequality, class, and attainment trajectories: how social class shapes college readiness, high school outcomes, and policy responses [19], [17], [15], [6].