A study of 188 superintendents and 379 school board members in districts with student enrollments above 25,000 sheds light on several factors affecting the working relationships between superintendents and their local boards. Board members tended to follow personal judgment rather than constituent preferences when making decisions, and received…

This document reports on a study conducted in Wisconsin to determine the relative incidence of evaluations of high school principals by boards of education, the degree of formality of these evaluations, and the sources of information and/or criteria used. Results determined that evaluation of high school principals by school boards occurs on a…

This discussion of the changing nature of leadership in community colleges focuses on the qualities of college presidents, the environment in which the college president operates, the relationship between the president and the college board, and ways of strengthening the presidency. First, the benefits and liabilities of the job of college…

Administrative rules/regulations or procedures must be based upon a board policy. In order to provide adequate governance of the district, the board should consider adopting policy and administrative rules/regulations or procedures in the following areas: (1) review of administrative rules and regulations; (2) administration in absence of policy;…

To ensure that school systems are prepared for the future, their boards must provide for both internal and external conditions through careful assessment and planning processes. Strategic planning consists of setting long-term goals, determining the best means of attaining them, and relating the chosen course to operating plans. This type of…

The roles and responsibilities of school boards and superintendents are different, but linked. School boards are primarily concerned with establishing policy and representing the educational interests of district constituents. Superintendents are charged with translating policies into administrative practice and with providing professional…

While numerous authors have addressed the subject of the college presidency, the literature does not contain an up-to-date job description of the community college president or the school district superintendent. A job description for the Superintendent/President as Executive Officer for the Board of Trustees would need to include a general…

This paper describes the process of using a chief school administrator as a board resource person in contract negotiations involving the wages, hours, and working conditions of teachers. It describes how an administrator in a Pennsylvania school district supported and advised the board negotiating team by compiling, analyzing, and evaluating…

Private school governing boards and their relationship with school heads are discussed in this booklet. Based on his experiences as a board member, the author counsels on the size of the board, selection of board members, length of membership, and board election. Specific advice is offered about the conduct of meetings. Other chapters outline the…

A sample contract for college trustees is presented that provides a way to rate individual trustee performance against certain norms that should characterize an effective trustee relationship with the college or university he serves. The contract is written as an agreement between a college board of trustees and a prospective trustee invited into…

Ontario school systems face problems in trustee-professional staff relationships, establishing community involvement in school affairs, developing policies whereby maximum use is made of resources available, and in increasing public awareness of what schools are for and what they are doing. These problems are discussed, and an ideal system for…

The district-wide educational committee structure of Maricopa County Community College district is elucidated. These committees fall into five categories: (1) District-wide Policy and Management Committee, (2) District-wide Service Committees, (3) District-wide Instructional Councils, (4) New Program Development Committees, and (5) Faculty…

This speech describes two research studies, one that investigated the role of the superintendent in collective negotiations as perceived by school personnel, and the other that compared the attitudes of selected school personnel from Indiana and Michigan concerning the role of the principal in collective negotiations. Data collected from the first…

This speech presents the results of a study that examined whether a phenomenon previously observed in nonpartisan school board elections is also true of partisan school board elections. Previous studies had shown that school board incumbent defeat in nonpartisan elections is related to involuntary superintendent turnover. The study investigated…

Discusses differences between collective negotiations in the private sector and public sector and offers suggested guidelines for school board members and district administrators to follow in preparing for negotiations. (JG)