This study analyzes the ways in which school boards assess and utilize evaluation data and their attitudes toward testing. Interviews with 27 school board members from 10 districts indicate that board members tend to rely on informal working knowledge over formal information, and on district administrators' judgments. Findings suggest that simple changes in data reporting, such as inclusion of executive summaries and clear graphic displays, will improve clarity and usefulness. However, members' lack of familiarity with basic research principles, reliance on experiential-based knowledge, and preoccupation with administrative concerns suggests that improving data quality and usefulness will have a marginal impact on educational quality. A conclusion is that the technical problems of providing reasonable, useable data are tractable, and that feasible solutions can be found; however, if they are to have an impact on educational quality, larger sociopolitical issues must be addressed. Appendices contain the interview guide, three graphs, and seven tables. (4 references) (LMI)