To prevent policy-making from being fragmented into a series of ad hoc and disjointed decisions, it is important to be as clear as possible about the policy-making framework within which decision-making is to operate. School boards that aspire toward enhancing their policy-making function are here provided with a basic structure for policy-making.…

The reason teachers want collective bargaining is far simpler than has heretofore been recognized by scholars. In de jure collective bargaining, agreements arrived at in the bargaining process are legal and binding on both parties. In de facto negotiation, agreements could be struck between the teachers and the board of education, but, when…

While primarily discussing the relationship between school boards and superintendents, the speaker makes four main points. First, the professional administration that runs our schools, led by superintendents and their management teams, is in the best position--perhaps the only position--to implement improvements in education. Second, school boards…

Two models may be used to describe school board governance. The democratic model defines effectiveness in terms of democratic criteria. It is characterized by vigorous competition for school board positions; board members are responsive to their constituencies; the superintendent acts as policy implementor rather than policy originator, and a…

School board members with concerns for success benefit the entire school district. An ambiguity between administration and policy-making necessitates a clarification of the role of the school board. The board should care about the quality of education and the district, recognize the increasing complexity of education, and represent the goals of…

School board presidents identified what they perceived to be critical incidents in their work with superintendents. The study was a sequel to previous research concerning superintendents' perceptions of critical incidents with school board members. Researchers conducted telephone interviews with 59 school board presidents and asked them to…

Boards of education often feel that consultants are high-priced or of questionable quality; however, reasonably priced, highly competent consultants are available. Some issues facing school districts can best be approached using the specialized talents and objectivity available only from consultants. When a school board has decided that it needs a…

In preparing to discuss the roles of administrators, board members, and the negotiator in school collective bargaining, the author lists his "tried and true" principles and outlines the differences between bargaining in the public and private sectors. An important difference between the two kinds of bargaining is that school board…

To conduct effective school board meetings, thirteen basic rules are presented. The rules prescribe that agendas and minutes should be studied prior to meetings; that meetings should be informal, open to citizens, and paced to avoid boredom and wasted time; that attorneys' reports should be in writing, and that the attorney should participate only…

This report describes a study of a rural school district that received national press coverage for an administrative crisis that began with the termination of a longtime district teacher, involved resignations and recalls from the board and the superintendency, and led to intensive conflicts among teachers, school board members, district…

The American school board is on trial. The most common accusations are that school boards are irrelevant, unresponsive, provincial, and therefore obsolete. School boards will not meet this challenge if they continue to tolerate certain common obstacles to effective policy-making. New horizons can be reached if boards and their administrators can…

The most important responsibility of every school board is to set goals for the school system. A study of goals should be conducted every few years; the process is continual. It is important that the committee chosen by the board to assist in setting goals be truly representative of the total community. All areas of the curriculum should be…

One of the biggest errors that boards of education make in collective bargaining concerns the selection of their bargaining team. A negotiator should be used who knows labor law, understands the educational process and its common practices, and is knowledgeable about school law. In addition to the negotiator, who should be the spokesman, the…

The "baby" in the title of this paper refers to local school boards. The author suggests giving school boards more authority to exercise control over schools. In June of each year, the superintendent should present to the Board a report summarizing objective evidence on the achievements in learning of the pupils in the schools. Near the end of the…

The role of the school board member should not be confined to handling district finances and setting construction and purchasing policy--the "business" aspects of the educational system. The primary role of the school board is not to make the school system more efficient, but rather to make it more effective. To successfully fill this role, board…