At a time when the public and politicians are demanding more of colleges, many members of governing boards feel ill prepared for the job. Their lack of readiness and knowledge touches almost every corner of a college's operations, like campus politics and fund raising, and is often the source for strained relations with the institution's…

An effective school requires an effective leader, but great principals rarely just happen. They are cultivated. This Wallace Perspective draws on a decade of foundation research and work in school leadership to show how urban school districts can play a major role in ensuring they have principals who can boost teaching and learning in troubled…

The purpose of this qualitative, narrative study was to investigate the role of the superintendent in leading the district to be more culturally proficient, resulting in the narrowing of the achievement gap in culturally diverse small districts. Eight superintendents of small school districts were purposefully selected based on their district size…

This book demonstrates through case studies and expert analyses the impressive educational gains children can make when the best educational research, policy, and practice are aligned. This volume is a valuable resource to aspiring leaders, educational researchers, and current practitioners and a must-read for anyone who cares about the public…

Describes activities and advantages of low-budget retreats to improve the relationship between superintendents and school board members. (PKP)

Offers six suggestions for preserving the school board-superintendent relationship; for example, know the potential areas for conflict. (PKP)

Many reformers suggest that urban district central offices would strengthen teaching and learning districtwide if they operated as "learning organizations." But what does it mean for a school district central office to operate as a learning organization? This article draws on research about learning theory and school district central offices to…

This article reports the two-year tenure of a woman superintendent in a small southern city. Placed against the background of local community politics and school district politics it shows that women in the superintendency still face issues of gender stereotyping that influence the way they are perceived as leaders of school systems. A feminist…

The principle of lay people taking important strategic decisions and holding lead professionals to account has a long and illustrious pedigree in British public life; it applies to police authorities, primary care trusts, local councils as well as schools. However, influential voices have been raised over recent months about the suitability of…

Amid today's heightened attention on student achievement, school boards find their responsibilities intensified and transformed. In this age of accountability, all school boards need to consider how best to maintain a focus on student achievement and promote it through district and school policies. "The Essential School Board Book" answers this…

In 2006, in the wake of a spending scandal involving a former president, American University's Board of Trustees made several broad changes in its procedures to, among other things, become more active in overseeing the president. Observers of university governance expected trustees at other institutions to follow suit. But despite the attention…

This study examines the potential for educational services by career counselors within administrative relationship domains through a case example. It explores the usefulness of career counseling intervention to facilitate career progress through superintendent-school board relationship difficulties as the superintendent attempts to implement…

All college presidents technically hold employment contracts. But whether the terms of those contracts are spelled out clearly is a different story. This article reports that in a survey of 165 public universities where such documents are considered public information, one-third of public university chiefs do not have formal written agreements.…

This chapter provides an overview of board governance, its effectiveness, and changes over more than four decades. The authors also offer strategies for creating partnerships between presidents and trustees that lead to future institutional success.