Backtalk: School boards and superintendents should work in concert

In response to a column by Joshua Starr about how superintendents act as buffers between the school district and the community, Rachel S. White and Mark Lineburg suggest that school board members must also serve a buffering function. They encourage school board members and superintendents to work in concert when making decisions and communicating those decisions to the community. Specifically, they stress the importance of centering students in their decision making and of creating a shared language about the decisions they have made.

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Charter school board members’ readiness to serve and implications for training

Journal of Educational Administration ◽

10.1108/jea-05-2018-0099 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 57 (2) ◽

pp. 102-117 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Marytza Gawlik ◽

Ann Allen

Keyword(s):

School District ◽

School Board ◽

Charter School ◽

School Boards ◽

Training And Development ◽

Board Members ◽

School Board Members ◽

Content Type ◽

Roles And Responsibilities ◽

The Usa

Purpose Analyzing data collected from the charter school board members and the superintendent in a charter school district in a southeastern state about the quality and usefulness of training, the purpose of this paper is to provide an important foundation for understanding training and development for charter school boards in the USA. Design/methodology/approach This study uses a qualitative case study approach to examine a charter school district and the preparedness of charter school board members to serve in that district. The authors sampled one charter school district in the southeast region of the USA and interviewed five charter school board members and the superintendent. Findings The first theme is composition and responsibility of charter school board members, which outlines the roles and responsibilities that charter school board members assume when they serve on this charter district board. The second theme is preparedness to serve, which traces the readiness of charter school board members to serve on a board. The final theme is training and documents related to the kind of training charter school board members receive once they are appointed to the board. Originality/value This study provides a conceptual framework about the dimensions and standards associated with preparedness to serve as a charter school board member and broadens the authors’ understanding of the roles and responsibilities of charter school boards, their preparedness to serve and the training and development they receive.

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Missing Opportunity?

Advances in Early Childhood and K-12 Education - Data Leadership for K-12 Schools in a Time of Accountability ◽

10.4018/978-1-5225-3188-3.ch010 ◽

2018 ◽

pp. 184-205

Author(s):

Laura Gavornik Browning ◽

Lisa M. Dorner

Keyword(s):

Decision Making ◽

Student Achievement ◽

Policy Implementation ◽

School Board ◽

Data Use ◽

Board Members ◽

School Board Members ◽

The People ◽

Research Questions ◽

One Year

School board members are elected by their communities to represent the people. Yet studies regarding how board members go about making decisions for their communities are limited. Drawing on policy implementation and sensemaking theories, this study followed a midwestern, rural school board for one year to explore how school board members considered or used data in their decision making. Research questions were: What resources do board members use in making decisions? In particular, how do board members understand the idea of evidence and/or data? Finally, how and when do they use different kinds of evidence and/or data in deciding what is best for students? Findings indicate that the board in this rural district rarely examined data, evidence, or research about students or student achievement. Instead, they sought out and depended upon local experts. They also worked within a system that did not explicitly design opportunities for their sensemaking about student achievement or data. Implications are discussed regarding possibilities for implementing data use by school boards.

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Conceptions of Power Held by Educational Leaders: The Impact on Collaborative Decision-Making Processes

Journal of School Leadership ◽

10.1177/105268460501500403 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 15 (4) ◽

pp. 407-432

Author(s):

Meredith Mountford ◽

Rose Ylimaki

Keyword(s):

Decision Making ◽

School Board ◽

Educational Leaders ◽

Board Members ◽

School Board Members ◽

Collaborative Decision Making ◽

Curriculum Directors ◽

Decision Making Processes ◽

The Impact ◽

Collaborative Decision

This article draws on a reanalysis of findings from two separate qualitative studies that examined a possible relationship between school board members’ and curriculum directors’ conceptions of power and the way they made decisions (Mountford, 2001; Ylimaki, 2001, respectively). The findings from both studies were then compared to the extant literature on collaborative decision making and inherent obstacles of power to sustained collaboration. The findings reveal a pattern among school board members’ and curriculum directors’ conceptions and enactments of power. This pattern of behavior can be used by educational leaders to increase their understanding about the role of power during collaborative decision making, minimize some of the obstacles of power to collaborative decision making, and build and sustain collaborative efforts of all kinds.

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