Featured Post from University of Delaware

From classrooms to communities: Rethinking civic engagement in K–12 education

University of Delaware researcher explores how participatory governance in schools can strengthen democracy, amplify community voices and foster civic engagement among youth.

Nov 5, 2025

3 min

When national headlines focus on school board battles and political polarization, James Bridgeforth, assistant professor of educational leadership at the University of Delaware, is focused on what’s possible instead: building a more inclusive, participatory model of democracy through public education.


His research in UD's College of Education and Human Development explores how community voice, equity and local leadership intersect to shape education policy – and how school boards can serve as vital engines for rebuilding public trust in government.


"Despite the often sensationalized stories of chaotic school board meetings and the influence of more national "culture war" issues, I still believe that it's possible for people from different backgrounds, experiences, and points of view to come together to figure out how to best serve the needs of all of our children." – Bridgeforth


CaptionResizeWrap TextRemove

Bridgeforth’s work centers on education governance, policy and leadership, with particular attention to how racism and anti-Blackness manifest in schools and policymaking spaces. His scholarship highlights the importance of inclusive decision-making, arguing that effective education policy must be representative of the diverse communities it serves. He recently published the report "Navigating Democracy in Divided Times" with co-authors on this topic.


As part of his work with the Getting Down to Facts III project at Stanford University, Bridgeforth collaborates with researchers studying how to improve California’s TK–12 system and inform the next governor’s education policy agenda. His work documents the complex realities faced by local school board members – often minimally paid community leaders navigating contentious public discourse, social media pressure and limited resources. He notes that this research can be applied to school boards around the country. 


The next frontier: Youth civic engagement


Over the next several years, Bridgeforth aims to deepen understanding of how schools can nurture young people’s civic skills and leadership capacity through participation in governance. One proposed project – "Strengthening Opportunities for Youth Civic Engagement and Student Voice in Educational Governance" – uses participatory action research to explore how student board member policies and engagement practices foster civic agency and democratic mindsets.


This collaborative work brings together youth-led community organizations and education researchers to study how these experiences shape long-term civic behavior – from voting to public service.


Why it matters


Bridgeforth’s research arrives at a pivotal time for American democracy. As trust in public institutions erodes, local school boards remain one of the spaces where citizens can directly shape policy. His work points to a hopeful truth: democracy’s renewal may begin in classrooms, communities and the local school board meetings shaping them.


For journalists covering education, race or civic engagement, Bridgeforth offers data-driven insight, lived experience and policy expertise – helping make sense of one of the most pressing questions of our time: How can we build systems that truly serve all students and communities?


This work collectively demonstrates a number of promising opportunities to foster more inclusive, community-connected forms of governance, particularly in a time of eroding trust in government institutions." – Bridgeforth



CaptionResizeWrap TextRemove

ABOUT JAMES BRIDGEFORTH


Assistant Professor,

College of Education and Human Development


James Bridgeforth is an educator, researcher and policy advocate whose work focuses on community voice in education policy and the politics of educational leadership. His scholarship has appeared in top journals including Journal of School Leadership, Education Policy Analysis Archives, Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis and Educational Administration Quarterly, and he has contributed to Education Week and The Washington Post.


A recipient of the National Academy of Education/Spencer Foundation Dissertation Fellowship, Bridgeforth holds a Ph.D. in Urban Education Policy from the University of Southern California, an M.Ed. in Educational Administration and Policy from the University of Georgia, and a B.A. in Political Science and Sociology from Georgia College & State University.


Expert available for:


  • Interviews on K–12 school governance, education policy and democracy
  • Commentary on community voice and equity in education decision-making
  • Analysis of youth civic engagement and participatory leadership


To contact Bridgeforth, email mediarelations@udel.edu. 

Powered by

You might also like...

Check out some other posts from University of Delaware

Post-earthquake crisis in Venezuela: University of Delaware experts available to discuss public health, infrastructure and relief featured image

1 min

Post-earthquake crisis in Venezuela: University of Delaware experts available to discuss public health, infrastructure and relief

Faculty from the University of Delaware’s renowned Disaster Research Center are available to comment on the back-to-back earthquakes in Venezuela. These experts can discuss critical infrastructure failures, public health threats, emergency logistics and community-led response efforts in the region. Available experts include: Jennifer Horney (Professor of Epidemiology) Focus: Public health impacts, post-disaster waterborne/vector-borne disease outbreaks and the breakdown of healthcare delivery due to damaged roads and disrupted communication networks. Tricia Wachtendorf (Co-director, Disaster Research Center) Focus: Disaster response logistics, community improvisation, neighbors as first responders and how to donate effectively to maximize impact. Sarah DeYoung (Associate Professor, Sociology and Criminal Justice) Focus: Maternal and infant health/feeding in emergencies, pet and companion animal evacuations and community-level crisis decision-making. To contact these experts directly and arrange an interview, visit their ExpertFile page and click on the contact button. Interested reporters can also email MediaRelations@udel.edu.

Decoding epilepsy, one brainwave at a time featured image

3 min

Decoding epilepsy, one brainwave at a time

Epilepsy isn’t always easy to diagnose. Seizures often don't occur during routine brain-wave recordings, leaving doctors without the direct observation they need to make a clear diagnosis. In a proof-of-concept study in mice, University of Delaware researchers and collaborators showed that using artificial intelligence to detect early warning signs hidden in the brain's electrical rhythms can identify subtle EEG differences linked to a genetic form of epilepsy, even when no visible seizures occurred. The findings, published in the Journal of Neural Engineering, set the stage for the next phase of the research, which will test the method on EEGs from children being evaluated for epilepsy at Nemours Children's Health. A dictionary of brain waves Neurologists often use EEGs to help diagnose epilepsy, but routine recordings offer only about a 20-minute snapshot of brain activity. Without a seizure captured during that window, clinicians must look for far subtler clues that can be difficult to detect visually. That's where AI comes in. “Our machine-learning approach lets the algorithm learn the brain’s ‘language’ of waveforms, spotting subtle patterns humans might miss during manual review,” said Austin Brockmeier, assistant professor in electrical and computer engineering and computer and information sciences. Starting small with a mouse model When Brockmeier presented his computational neuroscience research at a seminar, he caught the attention of Amanda Hernan, an affiliated associate professor of psychological and brain sciences and biomedical engineering at UD and senior research scientist at Nemours Children’s Health. Hernan studies how variations in brain activity affect thinking and learning in children with epilepsy. The two decided to put machine learning to the test using EEGs from mice with epilepsy-causing variations in the TSC1 gene. The researchers used a panel of more than 40 mice, including animals with and without the gene variation, across three different genetic backgrounds, or strains. They extracted EEG segments from five days of recordings from each mouse for analysis. Because the EEG segments contained no seizure activity, the algorithm had to detect differences in the brain's baseline activity alone. It was able to distinguish between the mouse strains and to detect the TSC1 gene variation with high accuracy in two of the three strains. “These results show that EEG patterns contain measurable signals of neurological differences, even without visible seizures,” Hernan said. Taking it to the clinic Now, Brockmeier and Hernan will next apply their approach to EEG recordings from children being evaluated for epilepsy at Nemours Children's Health. Pediatric EEGs are shorter than the multi-day recordings used in the mouse study, and children present with many different types of epilepsy. But the researchers are optimistic. “The goal is to identify biomarkers that flag underlying changes in the brain’s electrical activity before seizures occur,” Hernan said. Earlier detection could lead to earlier treatment and less uncertainty for families. That uncertainty, Hernan said, takes a toll. “Seizures follow natural cycles, but without a way to know where you are in that cycle, the anticipation can be incredibly anxiety-provoking,” she explained. Better pattern recognition could also improve treatment decisions. For example, if a new medication is introduced during a natural lull in seizure activity, its benefits could be overestimated. Looking further ahead, the researchers envision a future where wearable EEG devices allow continuous, real-time monitoring for those with high risk of seizures. Similar approaches could eventually be applied to other neurological conditions, including autism and ADHD. "This is a step toward precision medicine," Brockmeier said. "Brain-wave typing could help identify which interventions will work best for a given patient." For families navigating the daily uncertainty of epilepsy, that kind of precision could make a huge difference. To speak with Brockmeier and Hernan, please reach out to mediarelations@udel.edu.

UD’s happiness expert appears on NPR's Hidden Brain to explain importance of a helping hand in a stressed-out America featured image

1 min

UD’s happiness expert appears on NPR's Hidden Brain to explain importance of a helping hand in a stressed-out America

Happiness isn’t just about chasing big, exciting moments. A lot of the science points to the smaller, everyday things that help people feel connected, calm and grounded. Simple habits like helping others when we see them struggling create a bigger impact than we often expect. University of Delaware's resident "happiness expert" Amit Kumar, a psychologist and assistant professor of marketing in UD's Lerner College of Business & Economics, appeared on NPR's Hidden Brain to discuss that very topic.  Kumar discusses why sometimes it feels like we can't help others and how we can surmount those fears to build strong connections and also feel a greater sense of happiness.  To speak with Kumar about this topic, click his profile. 

View all posts
Powered by