Reviews the importance, role, and responsibilities of boards of education for newly elected board members. Emphasizes communication between the community and the board and school administrators and the board. Outlines the qualities of successful board members. (FMW)

Little is known about the relationship between school boards and superintendents. Structured interviews in six districts revealed that behavioral inclinations of board members ranged from passive acquiescence to proactive supportiveness to restive vigilance. Superintendents' behaviors were "more controlling" and "less controlling." Respondents…

The events and issues in Gallaudet University students' protest against the selection of a hearing president, and subsequent replacement by a deaf administrator, are discussed. The aftermath of the controversy is examined. (MSE)

Examination of superintendent turnover rates in Nebraska's K-12 and high school-only districts during a 10-year period revealed that average tenure for a school superintendent was almost a year less than the national average and that average tenures in both the largest and smallest school districts were shorter than national and Nebraska averages.…

An Indiana school board achieves success in site-based management by fair consideration of decisions made by school planning teams. Advises boards contemplating school-based management to (1) be a team player; (2) develop trust; (3) not bend to interest groups; (4) have patience; (5) set criteria for proposals; and (6) grant waivers to district…

Describes a study conducted at 2 community colleges to determine the contribution of the board-administrator relationship to effective management in 12 selected areas (i.e., goal-setting, planning, policy, financial management, professional development, communications, evaluation, state relations, fund raising, property transactions, discipline,…

Describes a staff development program for administrators. Interviews were conducted and administrative handbooks, professional development plans, and board of education policies were analyzed. Findings, among others, were principals viewed staff development and clearly defined procedures as essential; principals found little long-range staff…

Local system for public school governance has changed little since early twentieth century, when conception of school boards as trusteeships and superintendents as chief managers changed school-operating boards into policy boards. Since the late 1960s, local boards have reverted to politicized boards, increasingly involved in district…

Transition from one president to another is a complex undertaking that colleges and universities often handle badly, abdicating responsibility for preparing the new administrator. Governing boards should plan a brief leadership transition period beginning with the previous president's announcement of intention to leave, allow the institution to…

The creator of the Policy Governance model explains a system whereby the superintendent/CEO is not responsible for governance. Under Policy Governance, the board is solely responsible for describing and fulfilling its own job (determining what the public purchases for the next generation), and the administrators run the schools. (MLH)

The primary school headteachers' role has changed considerably since Britain's Education Reform Act (1988). A 2- year study of 12 Welsh principals disclosed key issues: increased managerial responsibility; changing deputy headteacher roles; parental involvement/social-worker emphases; relations with school governors; stress and overload;…

Throughout Texas, enrollments in suburban school districts have been rising, and in some instances, the increases have been substantial. Causes of this demographic trend are multifaceted, but in most instances they are an intricate mix of state population growth and urban flight. Rapidly growing suburban districts, like all Texas districts,…

"Lighting New Fires: American Catholic Schools for the 21st Century" is a National Catholic Educational Association (NCEA) program that has called on every Catholic school to undertake educational planning. This manual was written to take a school community through the details of the entire planning process. Following the foreword, the first…

Intended as a resource for trustees at California community colleges and those providing training to trustees, this handbook reviews the roles and responsibilities associated with trusteeship. Chapter 1 provides general information on California's community colleges and other systems of higher education, while chapter 2 discusses the role of the…

The four issues of "Trustee Quarterly" contained in this document focus on topics of current concern to community college trustees. The winter 1995 issue offers these feature articles: "Trustees Believe Focus Should Be on Major Policy Decisions," (John F. Grabowski) and "A Cost-Benefit Analysis System for Proposed Capital…