This brief summarizes the findings of significant research studies dealing with school district governance and the political processes of local school districts. The bulk of the discussion focuses on the research of Harmon Zeigler and his colleagues, particularly on the study described in "Governing American Schools," by Zeigler, Jennings, and Peak. Zeigler contends that although school districts are political units, the linkages between citizens and educational policy-makers are much weaker than suggested by the democratic model of American education. Rather, the policy-making process is dominated by professional administrators, especially scoool superintendents, instead of by elected school board members. The implication of this is that the traditional view of the schools as a service organization, rather than a political system, will be increasingly challenged, and the schools of the future will be faced by essentially political demands they are not presently equipped to handle. (JG)