A study was conducted to assess the expectations and sources of conflict and frustration for school board members in Washington, Missouri, and New Jersey. It tested the widely held belief that school board members are experiencing increased conflict and frustration and explored how these pressures are related to the conflicting expectations on boards to represent their constituents and to make efficient business decisions. Questionnaires were mailed to 100 school board members and 100 superintendents in each of three reasonably similar western, mideastern, and eastern states, in order to get a national sample. The study did not confirm the suggestion that schools are becoming more complex and too demanding, with neither information acquisition nor insufficient time seen as areas of difficulty by the respondents. Instead, employee negotiations and special interest groups were sources of conflict and frustration. Divergent board expectations also led to conflict, with board members consistently rated less effective when there were strong demands that they be both representatives and experts. (Author/DCS)