This multi-site case study explored the uncommonly discussed yet organic intersection between the study of crisis communication and the study of crisis leadership and in turn, what it means in the context of a college presidency. This study has a unique focus on women presidents at small, private colleges and the ways in which they communicate…

Math achievement is one of the strongest predictors of long-term student success--influencing graduation rates, college enrollment, career readiness, and future earnings. Yet too many students today lack access to rigorous, well-designed math instruction. Without a clear definition of what constitutes high-quality instructional materials (HQIM),…

School boards have a central position in educational governance. They have to guarantee quality, monitor results and intervene if needed. In this article we report the results of a systematic literature review meant to identify what school boards do to contribute to educational quality. After five steps of literature selection and refinement, our…

Purpose: The purpose of this sequential explanatory mixed methods study was to identify the political styles of exemplary suburban elementary school district superintendents and school board members in Southern California as perceived by superintendents. In addition, it was the purpose of this study to identify and explain the political strategies…

According to the California School Board Association, the role of the school board is to ensure that school districts are responsive to the values, beliefs, and priorities of their communities. Even though board members have a complex list of roles and responsibilities, CSBA assigns five primary major responsibilities: setting direction,…

School principal demands, compounded by increased accountability and insufficient support, significantly contribute to principal burnout and adversely affect educational leadership and institutional efficacy. This interpretive qualitative case study examined the role of district leadership in mitigating principal burnout within a Texas school…

A beloved, respected, and highly accomplished superintendent in a rural, high-risk district, Mr. Carroll, is confronted with dissident board members for the first time in his 7-year tenure. Two newly elected members have strained relationships between current board members and are calling for his resignation based upon what they perceive as low…

In Sweden, the local schoolboard has the ultimate responsibility for school quality and student knowledge development, and is held responsible if the expected outcomes are not met. Assisting the board is the superintendent who is the Chief Executive Officer. The aim of the study is to investigate the board's relation to and expectations of the…

The introduction of school governing bodies (hereinafter SGBs) changed the roles and functions of principals dramatically when this new approach to school governance and professional management (referred to as a participatory decision-making approach) was activated when the South African Schools Act 84 of 1996 (hereinafter SASA) was implemented in…

Campus life is disrupted. Boards and campus leadership are under immense pressure from all directions. Candidates face the uncertainty of the higher education landscape. Search firms must manage competing, conflicting, and uneducated opinions of how to run a presidential search. The purpose of this action research study was to investigate and…

In this autoethnographic research study, I examined my journey as an experienced superintendent in developing an effective relationship with the Board of Education in a new school district. This study examined the relevant research on the importance of the relationship between the Board and the superintendent of schools, the characteristics of a…

Trust is essential to success at both the school and district levels. While its presence provides no guarantee of organizational success, its absence reliably predicts failure. Trust in institutions including the government, the church, and the media has declined in recent years. This is certainly true of public schools as well. The purpose of…

Purpose: The purpose of this explanatory sequential mixed-methods study was to identify and describe what leadership strategies exemplary suburban superintendents perceive as the most important to build trust with school board members using the 5 domains of competence, consistency, concern, candor, and connection. In addition, it was the purpose…

Purpose: In the wake of school board protests nationwide, it is essential for educational leaders, policymakers, and researchers to understand locally controlled educational governance. The stability of educational districts depends on superintendents navigating relationships with their school boards, yet little research exists that addresses…

In this article, the authors use original survey data to test the determinants of priority conflict on urban school boards in the United States. The results indicate that school district demographics, including the percentage of English language learners and education spending per pupil, impact the extent to which urban school board members hold…