According to the California School Board Association, the role of the school board is to ensure that school districts are responsive to the values, beliefs, and priorities of their communities. Even though board members have a complex list of roles and responsibilities, CSBA assigns five primary major responsibilities: setting direction, establishing an effective and efficient structure, providing support, ensuring accountability, and providing community leadership as advocates for children, the school district, and public schools. Once appointed, board members are not provided training that explains how they will do their jobs. Therefore, how board members approach their responsibilities with respect to governing the district is often dependent on the superintendent's leadership approach. The purposes of this study were to: (1) examine how equipped board members and superintendents in three districts in California believed they were to engage in effective school governance as a result of participating in the Masters in Governance training; and (2) to understand the leadership approach taken by each Superintendent in determining how they and board members would work together to govern their school districts. Three superintendents and 12 board members were interviewed. Data revealed that: (1) board members lacked training and background knowledge; (2) the Masters in Governance training provided tools for superintendents and board members to do their jobs; and (3) guidance by superintendents helped board members to understand their roles and responsibilities to govern their district. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]