Psba Commission To Strengthen The Working Relationships Of School Boards And Superintendents PDF Download

The purpose of this qualitative study was to ascertain the perceptions of school board members and superintendents regarding their relationships, board member readiness, board member predispositions for acquiring new knowledge, and board member and superintendent interpretations of their governing roles and responsibilities in an era of mounting demand for increased student achievement in public schools. Also examined was whether board member training was perceived as needed or warranted because training was not required in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (PBSA, 2012). The understandings of these key systematic issues were crucial for effective governance. A board member survey, superintendent survey, and interview questions for both superintendents and board presidents were developed to investigate each of the components of the study. Surveys were completed by nine superintendents and 44 board members, which could have included board presidents. In addition, nine superintendents and five board presidents consented to participate in an interview. Role conflict, board member misunderstanding of governance topics, and their responsibilities were evident in the results of this study. Recommendations were made based on the results of this study. These results should encourage the Pennsylvania School Boards Association (PSBA) or other researchers to further expand this study to acquire a sense of Pennsylvania's perceptions to these systematic topics and essential elements. The results may also benefit Pennsylvania school boards and superintendents to improve upon school board governance.