This handbook takes an up-to-date look at the complex issues of trusteeship and school governance. Although addressed to trustees of independent schools, it contains valuable insights and suggestions for all who serve on boards, in and out of education. The main topics covered are "Governing Boards,""The Board and the Head of the School," and…

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…

This booklet is intended to help new school board members in the state of Washington learn their jobs rapidly and, at the same time, to serve as a constructive reference for experienced board members. Individual chapters focus in turn on an overview of the school board, the school board member as an individual, the structure of Washington's public…

A telephone survey of school superintendents in Newfoundland (Labrador) found that 13 of 14 school districts had adopted sexual harassment policies. However, none of the policies contained all elements required to constitute a comprehensive policy; few procedures existed for informing new or current personnel of sexual harassment policies; and…

In 2006, representatives of the New Jersey Department of Education, the New Jersey School Boards Association, and the New Jersey Association of School Administrators, conceived a joint venture aimed at assisting board of education teams, including their superintendents, to function better as cohesive teams and foster improved academic achievement…

The Mission Resource Requirement (MRR) represents the level of funding necessary for an institution given its mission, size, and complexity of programs, based on regional and national norms, and the amount of the previous year's appropriation. This document is the MRR for the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education for Fiscal Year 2007-2008.…

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…

The author of this article, an education attorney, begins by describing a case where, a school superintendent of personnel for a rural school district in Michigan had just received a performance evaluation with high marks and a new three-year contract. Two months later the school board called him into a closed session and presented him with…

In the early 1990s a handful of states created independent public charter schools, providing opportunities for teachers and others to develop innovative schooling options. Unlike private schools funded through vouchers or tuition tax credits, these new public schools practice open admissions, accepting all students as space permits. In exchange…

Compromise in any context is often hard to accept. It feels like a person is giving up on his or her ideals. This is especially true in dealing with politics. Legislative and congressional bills can be written with the highest of ideals in mind. By the time the bill progresses through committees and the floor debate process, it can look like a…

High stakes accountability (HSA) reforms were enacted in state after state and federally through the No Child Left Behind law, based on the belief that incentives that have consequences attached are effective ways to motivate educators to improve student performance. Our focus for this article is on school district level responses to HSA reforms…

One of the biggest errors that boards of education make in collective bargaining concerns the selection of their bargaining team. A negotiator should be used who knows labor law, understands the educational process and its common practices, and is knowledgeable about school law. In addition to the negotiator, who should be the spokesman, the…

Citing a proliferation of people and a duplication of functions, a superintendent rejects the notion that school boards should have their own staffs. (DW)

The superintendent, as the district educational leader, has responsibility toward the board of education and instructional staff. The latter function is encouraged and monitored by superintendents who use inservice programs, central office instructional and curriculum specialists, teacher committees, principals, and consultants to identify and…

Interest in preschool programs appears to be increasing, but the experts continue to disagree over the value of such programs. This review of recent developments accomplishes the following: (1) looks at the popular acceptance of a school-sponsored, universal, voluntary, free, prekindergarten program in South Tama County, Iowa; (2) notes research…