Issues concerning state planning and policy toward proprietary schools are considered, with a focus on efforts of Illinois to relate to the proprietary sector in such areas as coordination and planning, student financial aid, and the approval of schools and programs. States that try to integrate the proprietary sector into their planning…

The relationship between statewide boards of education and their constituents is considered. It is suggested that boards of education and college trustees have had little basis for a working relationship, and that colleges have felt suspicion or invasion of turf in respect to statewide boards. One hindrance is that college trustees have been…

A survey of 105 rural school superintendents in Colorado investigated areas significant to success in and satisfaction with the superintendency in rural school districts. These areas included school district background, perceptions of the rural superintendency, future plans of respondents, governance issues, board-superintendent relations,…

The author discusses what he considers to be the essentials of a good superintendent's contract. He covers such areas as deferred compensation, contract length, vacations, and retirement. (IRT)

If superintendent-school board relationships are to be successful, the persons involved must be cognizant, confident, communicative, and compatible. (Author/IRT)

The relationship between the superintendent and board of education has a significant impact on the quality of a district's educational program. This conceptual paper explores the implications of three distinct trends for that relationship: (1) changing demographics; (2) changes brought about by school reform; and (3) changes in superintendents…

Kentucky has witnessed many changes in educational administration. An assessment of those changes, with a focus on school boards, was done. School boards are not efficient bodies and this is not a problem. If efficiency was the top concern, then minimizing time and costs would be dominant and schools would suffer. School boards are not…

The Canadian population's belief in the values of effective leadership, proven competence, and responsive representation of society's interests have led to the development of an educational system in which (1) the central provincial government exercises greater power over education than do local boards, (2) local boards generally bow to the…

The relationship of postsecondary education to the economy in Ohio is discussed. Attention is focused on efforts of the Ohio Board of Regents and the Ohio Department of Development to foster economic development and revitalization. Information is included on the Ohio Board of Regents'"Master Plan for Higher Education," along with…

A politicized, sophisticated citizenry split into several special interest factions is placing great demands on school board members just as they find themselves struggling with unprecedented organizational and financial difficulties. In order to meet these challenges, board members must respond to districtwide needs rather than represent special…

Even though public school districts are structured with the expectation of responsive governance, most school boards are not particularly responsive to their constituents. School boards from politically contentious districts tend to be more responsive, but they have even less success challenging the dominance of the superintendent than do less…

This study investigated whether some school boards create higher student achievement than others, studying districts with schools that ranked very high or very low on standardized achievement tests for three academic years. Achievement indicators included percentage of students meeting proficiency standards on the statewide curriculum based…

Membership on a board of education had been referred to as the most ill-defined position in local government. This paper presents findings of a study that examined the perceptions of experienced New York State school board members concerning 20 policy-formation and administrative activities. The respondents were asked to indicate whether a board…

Principals are middle managers. Board members should have a superintendent who has a high regard for the principalship and who believes in the total team approach to school administration. They should allow principals to do the job they were hired to do--parental or citizen complaints should be referred to the principal instead of being personally…

Citing examples from a successful district improvement plan used in Greensville County, Virginia, this paper lists and explains ways a school board can improve teacher competence. After warning that measures that work in one school district may not work in others, the author suggests that school boards should set high district standards, insist on…