The courts are not likely to put educational straight jackets on school boards by insisting on a certain amount of achievement to which all children of a given age or maturity must attain. (Author)

In this article, the author talks about the rebuilding of the public school system in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. A group of local and state educators, community leaders, and business people, headed by Tulane University President Scott Cowen, recommended that New Orleans become a hybrid of traditional public schools and charter schools,…

Conflict and controversy are facts of school board life. The former president of the Eugene, Oregon, School Board offers eight tips on ways to effectively handle controversy. (MLF)

A recently elected school board member discovers in an old book, "The Challenge of School Board Membership," by Daniel R. Davies and Fred W. Hosler, that despite the passage of 50 years, the basic operation of a school board has not changed much. (MLF)

In 2002, the Council of the Great City Schools evaluated the Dayton Public School System. The Council noted that the district was in crisis, stating bluntly that achievement was low, funding was tenuous, buildings were dilapidated, and the public was looking at its options. The organization proposed a series of major instructional and budgetary…

For organizations to succeed and endure, trust, collaboration, and performance cultures must coexist. A culture of trust starts with a school board that is independent and fully accountable and that holds all only its employees accountable. In a culture of collaboration, the board becomes a partner in setting goals but allows the experts to do…

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…

New board members can jeopardize their abilities to get things done if they don't take the time to understand how school boards work. Advises new board members to watch what they say and lists 10 statements new board members often make but should not. (MLF)

This edition contains two types of standards along with an interpretation of and/or reference to Georgia law or Georgia Board of Education policy. The first category includes standards that are required of either a school or local school system. The second category includes standards for field-test purposes from which future required standards…

An effective school board is well aware of its legal status as a corporate body. It understands its duty to deliberate and reach decisions regarding the educational needs of the community, the best use of available resources, the adoption of policies and programs which will secure an opportunity of great personal advantage to the youth of the…

The president of the Morrisville-Eaton, New York, School Board offers suggestions to keep board meetings focused and productive. (MLF)

Based on doctoral research on the possible relationship between board involvement in contract talks and increased labor strikes, advises school boards to avoid involvement in contract negotiations. (MLF)

School districts implementing change proceed through the phases of investigation, facilitation, and cultivation. In addition, staff members are encouraged to develop professionally according to their individual choices and their levels of success and commitment. (MLF)