A former university president and a trustee (who are also father and daughter) apply the rules of good business partnerships to communication between boards and presidents and provide the president and trustee viewpoints on these rules: communicate, be a team, be honest, and be trustworthy. (EV)

A controversy in Durham, NC, has joined two principals in a shared responsibility: turning around the district's two lowest-performing high schools. Henry Pankey identifies a list of goals for Hillside High School, among them a 95 percent attendance rate, and 75 percent of students at grade level. Larry McDonald, who was appointed to succeed…

No graduate program can adequately prepare a novice superintendent for the myriad situations she or he likely will face during the first few years. In addition to learning the job, today's superintendent faces challenges unlike those of prior generations. Perhaps the most difficult one is gaining an understanding of how to work effectively with…

School district administrator openings are occurring across Texas and many other states at an increasing rate. The high rate of turnover in the superintendency has become a national problem. Texas was chosen for the study due to the total number of school districts in the state and the high percent of rural districts. The other selected states,…

The purpose of this study was to compare the perceptions of Texas Public School superintendents and school board presidents on the importance of leadership characteristics of the superintendency. The questionnaire used in this study was developed by Dr. Douglas D. Wilson and modified by the researcher. Responses to a Likert Scale instrument and…

In this article I provide a meso-level account of the interactional-institutional link by revisiting Goffman's analysis of deference and demeanor in light of Bourdieu's discussion of institutional fields, cultural capital, and symbolic power. To acquire deference, one must exhibit the appropriate demeanor towards others, and one must be equipped…

This booklet examines the role of the professional governing board secretary and offers guidelines for carrying out this responsibility effectively. While a wide range of responsibilities of board secretaries is noted, the board secretary's basic responsibilities center on supporting the governing board's operations, ensuring that institutional…

The relationship between the board of education of a public school system and the school superintendent is extremely important to the functioning and progress of the system. First-time Ohio superintendents were surveyed at the end of their first and second years about their perceptions of their relationships with their boards of education (N=58).…

When some new superintendents assume a new position, they get along with their boards and staff, learn the ropes, and eventually gain credibility and "own" their precarious perch on the wall. Others, like Humpty Dumpty, crash off the wall, never to regain control of the position. Certain factors account for success: experience; clear understanding…

The primary qualifications of a school superintendent are reviewed as a guide to boards of education in the selection of a new administrator. Topics discussed include the characteristics of a good superintendent, his responsibilities, his relationships with the school system and the school board, procedures for his selection (i.e., announcement of…

Attempts to write definitely on public school administrators' rights to continuing employment are risky because states vary so widely in their statutes. There is not much litigation about administrators' rights because in most states administrators are not covered by the same tenure laws that protect teacher employment. Statutory law in some…

This report is the first in a series of reviews of the structure and governance at Duke University. It consists of six parts. Part I gives a description of the existing organization and composition of the Board of Trustees. In Part II alternative trustee arrangements are considered. Part III makes recommendations concerning the proper role and…

A "trustee" means different things to different people. Some have suggested abolishing Boards of Trustees and handing all power to the students and faculty. Yet, if the University is to remain a center of learning and free inquiry, it will be easier to preserve this function with the support of a dedicated board of lay trustees. One responsibility…

Administrators have always been evaluated in one way or another. Decisions on hiring, training, promotion, and firing of administrators have always been necessary; such decisions are based on some sort of evaluation, whether formal or informal, of administrative performance. The concept of accountability has also affected administrator evaluation.…

Seventy trustees of various California library boards responded to a questionnaire designed to determine how the trustees viewed their duties, whether they agreed as to their responsibilities, what they felt were their main functions, and what was the division of responsibilities between the board and the library staff. The questionnaire data…