To establish good working relationships with their school boards, superintendents should (1) be willing to be vulnerable, (2) be open and accurate, (3) be consistently civil, (4) seek compromise, (5) avoid complacency, and (6) remember that the relationship with each individual board member is unique. (PGD)

Why and how the biggest district in Texas is making waves in what had been a placid educational pond. A related article is EA 501 971. (Author)

Outlined are important considerations on salary levels and fringe benefits for school boards to be aware of in keeping their superintendent productive and happy. Six suggestions are offered for maintaining smooth relationships between the board and the superintendent. Suggestions to superintendents are also offered for developing effective…

A new study of principals in Pennsylvania confirms earlier research findings that principals' participation in a formally defined process for determining their wages and benefits consistently enhances organizational climate and improves principal performance. (JW)

Contends that outside management auditors would be "snoops," that using them would indicate a school board's lack of trust and promote divisiveness among employees, and that management audits are based on the false ideas that schools can be run like businesses and that boards do not know their responsibilities. (RW)

Sabbaticals for college presidents are recommended by a president who returned to his institution after a year working on a doctorate in higher education administration. Benefits to both the president and the college are noted. (MLW)

The Ashwaubenon (Wisconsin) school board bases its superintendent's evaluation on the job description and on three to five specific goals that the board and superintendent mutually agree upon. The areas of evaluation used from the job description are people management, task management, and personal competence. (Author/MLF)

In order to help trustees fulfill leadership responsibilities, presidents should help them explore three areas of knowledge (the college, trends in higher education, and trends in society), identify and explore their specific governance responsibilities and behaviors, and guide them in balancing cost effectiveness, quality, and humanism. (MSE)

Three trends in collective bargaining for school administrators can be identified: (1) granting of bargaining rights to teachers is necessary for granting similar rights to administrators; (2) eligibility is determined more often by job function than title; (3) scope of negotiations is similar for administrators and teachers but actual provisions…

Describes issues in superintendent hiring process and school-board role in sustaining success for new superintendents. Reports findings of survey of 54 new Indiana superintendents about their recruitment and interviewing experiences and the "honeymoon period" of their early employment. Finds, for example, that one-third of superintendents reported…

Increasingly, school boards are using consultants to help them hire the right superintendents for their school systems. Proposes extending the consultants' contracts to coaching both board and superintendents on developing an effective working relationship. (MLF)

A trustee at both a military school and a major university finds common responsibilities and dynamics on both boards and offers suggestions to development officers in their work with both trustees and fund-raising volunteers. (MSE)

Unusual circumstances creating a conflict, requiring a choice, and having pivotal consequences for the future of the organization can serve as tools for assessing management effectiveness, revealing and testing the relationship between the president and the board chair. (MSE)

A positive relationship between the board and the superintendent keeps a school system running. Offers 10 tips to promote such a relationship. (MLF)

According to a survey of 46 recently departed Michigan school superintendents, departing superintendents can announce their intention to leave and still maintain a viable leadership role. Lame-duck superintendents should help the board think through the superintendent-selection process and review possible promotions, recognize staff achievements,…