Governance
Governance
How CENTS coordinates its research, who is responsible for what, and what is in place today.
How CENTS works
A national research team sets one shared method and publishes the state-by-state review. The plan is for students to document what their own school districts report, for state and regional leads to coordinate that work as teams form, and for every finding to be published with its sources. Today the national research team and the public research are in operation; the volunteer network is only starting.
Roles and responsibilities
- National research team
- Sets the research agenda and standards, reviews state data, and appoints Regional and State Directors.
- District Delegates
- One school district. Files the records request and logs follow-ups.
- State Directors
- One state. Supports up to 5 delegates and holds one board or teacher meeting a month.
- Regional Directors
- One of four Census regions. Holds a monthly check-in with the State Directors in the region.
Current organizational status
Nobody holds a title yet, and no chapters or teams exist. The roles below describe how CENTS intends to organize as participation grows. They are not active teams.
| Role | Status today | What that means |
|---|---|---|
| Executive Director (national research) | Title only | The national research function exists and is in operation. The title is held without a name on this site. |
| Regional Directors | Proposed, unfilled | Part of the planned structure. It is added only after the threshold below is met. |
| State Directors | Proposed, unfilled | Part of the planned structure. It is appointed only after the threshold below is met. |
| District Delegates | Interest form open, none confirmed | Anyone eligible can register interest. Delegates are confirmed by hand, and no position is guaranteed. |
How leadership is earned
Titles are earned through verified activity, not granted by signing up. These are the rules CENTS has published; no role has yet been filled under them.
- Anyone 13 or older can take part as a District Delegate. Anyone under 16 takes part with a parent or teacher sponsor. A district has a single delegate.
- A role counts as active when its holder has at least one verified action in the last 30 days.
- A State Director is appointed when a state has 3 or more active District Delegates, and supports up to 5 delegates.
- A Regional Director is added when a region has 3 or more active State Directors.
- Regions are the U.S. Census Bureau’s four: Northeast (9 entries), Midwest (12 entries), South (17 entries), West (13 entries). DC is in the South.
- There is no application for leadership, and no title is guaranteed.
Accountability and safeguards
- Methodology: how evidence is researched, checked and classified.
- Corrections: how to report an error, how it is fixed, and the public change log.
- Code of conduct: accuracy, nonpartisanship, privacy, and honesty about roles. CENTS does not handle money.
- Youth safety: ages, sponsors, and no one-on-one messages to anyone under 18.
- Data and privacy: what the forms collect and how long it is kept.
- Terms: the information is not legal advice.
CENTS is not a registered nonprofit or lobbying organization, and it handles no money.