Working with and against the bureaucratic state: histories of grassroots organising for public education reform, 1970s–1980s

The article introduces an international Special Issue that addresses the significant question of how and why people organise to engage with policy making in public sphere education, from a historical perspective. Focusing on phenomenon ‘grassroots' community organising during key formation period 1970s 1980s, issue collects articles Australia, Canada, Chile, South Korea, Spain (Catalonia) United States for purpose examining what might look like or encompass under different kinds states state bureaucratic arrangements. This introductory outlines editors’ own research into Australian context before highlighting various individually collectively contribute questions 1) expanding understanding it means at grassroots level; 2) complex relationships between school; 3) connections disconnections local, national educational domains; 4) how, methodologically, capture people, experiences organisations may be fully partly absent official top down records.