A school board member describes how the actions of legislators, judges, and lay groups are draining control from the local level. (Author)

The selection of a superintendent is the most important decision a school board will make. With that premise established, this brief study examines the superintendent search process and the state of the superintendent applicant pool. Data were gathered from 30 practicing search consultants who responded to a mailed questionnaire. The key findings…

School board members will no longer silently accept responsibility for the mistakes of professional educators. Boards, and the public they speak for, are demanding an educational product that can be evaluated and audited for its financial as well as its educational worth. Strong board leadership, a new image of governance, and a relationship of…

Establishes a four-step analysis to help determine whether a particular violation of federal rights is caused by official policy or custom, thus making the school board liable in suits filed under federal statute 42 U.S.C., Section 1983. Discusses three landmark Supreme Court cases. (Author/WD)

Analysis of minutes of board of education meetings in all 31 rural Utah school districts found that rural boards tended to micromanage their districts, generally ignoring the larger leadership function of building consensus and fostering a sense of community. Discussions of educational reform movements and unstructured discussion with patrons…

Story of Empire School District (Oklahoma) school board's decision to cut the budget in the mid-1980s, including the elimination of the popular music and band program and termination of its director, a decision that caused considerable community conflict resulting in the defeat of all the incumbent board members at the polls and the resignation of…

The number of school boards in Canada has been radically reduced over the past 7 years. During this period, governance roles and responsibilities also have been redefined. Since 1995, 9 of Canada's 10 provinces have gone through a consolidation process mandated by provincial legislators, mainly for cost efficiency. (MLF)

Provides questions and commentary that child care center board members can use to evaluate the board's organization, development, and functions. (DR)

Little is known about the relationship between school boards and superintendents. Structured interviews in six districts revealed that behavioral inclinations of board members ranged from passive acquiescence to proactive supportiveness to restive vigilance. Superintendents' behaviors were "more controlling" and "less controlling." Respondents…

A resource document released by the National Association of State Boards of Education recommends standardizing the criteria for approving home instruction and shoring up progress reporting and evaluation procedures. These recommendations have implications for the ways local districts locate and monitor home instruction. (MLF)

Describes the leadership qualities of an effective board of education or religious education commission. Provides examples of effective boards solving problems by becoming advocates, skill sharers, communicators, and responders to their communities. Challenges leadership groups to become communities, share their collective wisdom, and become…

Lack of privacy, personal attack, and community controversies are among the job-related problems cited by a number of board members. Suggested survival strategies include the following: do your homework, make no promises, learn to deal with the news media, maintain your equilibrium, and do what is best for the children in the long run. (MLF)

Analyzes interviews with 81 Nebraska superintendents who had experienced "critical incidents" in their dealings with school board members. Of the 5 main categories, the most frequently cited were the following: (1) problems with relatives and friends (23 percent); (2) personal agendas (21 percent); and (3) disputes over hiring and firing…

Most school board members and superintendents want to leave a lasting legacy to their district. To do this, they need to acknowledge that large-scale change is complex and takes time and that the system will outlast them. Board members can give their communities the gifts of vision, process, and competence. (MLF)

Compares effects of disaggregated education costs of three (Canadian) spending-control regimes: state-level controls, local school-board control with nonoverlapping jurisdiction, and local school-board control with overlapping jurisdiction. Simulations indicate that centralized state or provincial control of spending leads to the lowest teacher…