Background: Communities consist of interconnected sub-systems, such as schools, healthcare organizations, and businesses, each fulfilling specific functions that contribute to the overall well-being of the community. Effective community responses to crises, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, require collaboration across these sectors. However,…

This study provided a detailed analysis of why newly elected school board members ran for school board in New York from 2017-2022 and the governance challenges they expected to face. Secondary survey data of 1,064 school board members collected by the New York State School Boards Association were examined to explore how personal and professional…

This embedded mixed methods case study described the decision-making influences relevant to Wisconsin rural school district's consolidation. In 2015, Wisconsin's K-12 schools experienced financial cuts that were amongst the largest in the country. As a result, school district interest in consolidation was a natural topic of discussion for many of…

This phenomenological study provides insight into the experiences of public-school board directors as they experience, cognitively process, and respond to religious-based reasoning during deliberations on controversial issues while serving in their elected role at school board meetings. Understanding how elected public-school district directors…

The purpose of this study was to examine and analyze the decision-making and policy development of local governing boards acting in response to the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. Quantitative and qualitative data was gathered through open-ended items in a mixed-methods survey and through a focus group interview. This research sought to…

The study is a qualitative case study of school board members (SBMs )knowledge of school Mental Health (MH) issues including two points. First, it is unknown to what extent School Board Members are knowledgeable about contemporary MH issues. Second, it is unknown if SBM knowledge of School District Mental Health (SDMH) policy is representative of…

This multi-site case study uses Policy Implementation Process Examination (PIPE) and a variegated diagram to represent the evolution of interpretations in a human sense-making framework as it relates to Ohio House Bill 410, legislated in 2016. The purpose of the research is to study how implementing agents such as school district personnel respond…

The purpose of this study was to examine the way in which school boards use data when making decisions, specifically their orientations, perceptions, concerns and priorities around data. This study sought to understand how school boards use data when setting or tracking progress toward goals and aimed following the process of board use of data to…

Classical and Christian education has proliferated across education sectors over the last decade. As a result, school leaders must implement these timeless philosophies of education and navigate such high demand. This dissertation seeks to equip relevant parties with research about what drives their skyrocketing enrollment and how to support…

There is a need to fill the gap in school board literature by examining Islamic school board members' and their principals' perceptions of school board effectiveness. The purpose of this quantitative study was to measure and compare ratings of school board effectiveness of Islamic school boards by board members and school principals. The…

Purpose: The purpose of this explanatory sequential mixed-methods study was to identify and describe what strategies exemplary regional occupational centers and programs superintendents perceive as most important to build trust with school board members using the five domains of "competence," "consistency," "concern,"…

This non-experimental, descriptive study explored the perceptions of PK-12 policymakers in West Virginia regarding the sources of information they use in the decision-making process; whether and how evidence-based research is relied upon; whether evidence-based research is considered credible and usable; and what barriers, facilitators, and…

Present-day educational inequities are the result of systemic racism rooted in longstanding policies and practices. The move to achieve equity is not a new phenomenon; however, the desire to achieve educational equity has become more prevalent in national conversations. Conversations about educational equity have trickled down to the school…

The purpose of this research was to identify the role of the relationship between the school board and the school superintendent. This study was an effort to describe the role of relationship between the two stakeholders and what effect that relationship had on school climate and how their relationship impacted their ability to develop a strong…

Best practices for school boards include collaborative communication, setting goals focused on student achievement and these characteristics are found in district leadership teams in high achieving school districts. The specific problem is that some school district administrators in leadership do not implement clear communication practices; thus,…