Part of a 13-volume series designed to help Lutheran communities assess the feasibility of starting a Lutheran elementary school and to assist ongoing schools in current operation, this volume is intended to help Lutheran boards of education clarify their role and make policy. The first part of the document deals with role, function, and…

The conduct of public education in New York State is a collaborative enterprise involving the Governor and Legislature, the Regents and the Commissioner of Education, and local boards of education. Although a decentralized system has given limited ability to the State Education Department, Legislature, and Governor to direct the use of funds or to…

This guide provides practical advice regarding implementation of the Policy Governance model for school boards. Chapter 1, "Setting the Stage," explores questions commonly raised by boards prior to implementation of the Policy Governance model. Chapter 2, "The Theoretical Foundation," reviews the key theoretical principles of…

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.…

There is a shortage of school governors. The response has been to suggest a reduction in the number needed by decreasing the size of governing bodies or by forcing federation. Neither response is the answer. Reduction in size will place a greater burden on the few remaining governors and forced federation will distance incumbents from those things…

The La Crosse (Wisconsin) School Board turned to the comprehensive school board development program offered by the Wisconsin Association of School Boards (WASB) for help in governance policy. The board adopted John Carver's Policy Governance model consisting of ends policies, executive limitations, board and superintendent relationship, and…

Online learning and our current system of local education governance are at odds with one another, to say the least. In this paper, John Chubb examines how local school district control retards the widespread use of instructional technologies. He argues that the surest way to break down the system's inherent resistance to technology is to shift…

Policy makers increasingly include provisions aimed at fostering professional community as part of reform initiatives. Yet little is known about the impact of policy on teachers' professional relations in schools. Drawing theoretically from social capital theory and methodologically from qualitative social network analysis, this article explores…

This handbook is aimed at improving the effectiveness of school board members. Effectiveness of the individual board member has a direct bearing on the effectiveness of the whole board, superintendent of schools, school district, and policy formation. The major functions of the school board are discussed: (1) selection of the superintendents; (2)…

Analyzes interviews with 31 school board chairpersons across Canada on the subject of effective school board operations. Summarizes and quotes responses to questions about leadership styles and roles, conflict resolution among board members, informal communication networks, policy development, organizational structure, school board size, and…

The purpose of this article is to summarize a study in which the extent and desirability of key decisions made by selected lay leaders in Catholic schools was explored. The study also examined the effect of school consolidation on decision making. (Author)

Written policy by local school boards is essential for efficient operation of the total educational program. At least one-half of the nation's 20,000 school boards have not established a written policy statement or kept one updated with new methods. This research established a taxonomy of terms that should be included in such a statement along…

This study reviews research on the defeat of incumbent school board members and presents new election data on 104 southern California school districts. The findings confirm that incumbent defeat is episodic, but they challenge previous research regarding its nature and origins. (Author)

Focuses on school boards as sociocultural systems. Asserts that boards' decision-making processes operate within a cultural context and have, over the centuries of their existence, developed a culture of their own. Proposes that culture dictates a decision-making output that is not as responsive or immediate as would be expected. (Author/MK)

With the due date for the reauthorization of No Child Left Behind (NCLB) right around the corner, "Education Next" thought it apt to probe the lessons learned in the five years since the act's passage. This article presents an e-mail interview with Sandy Kress, a lawyer and former school board member who, as a domestic policy advisor in…