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  Local school boards in the United States of America have the potential to exert tremendous power by monitoring student achievement and making district leaders accountable for results. Board members’ motivations and challenges in both running for the board and serving on the board are of particular interest to educational leaders because this information is critical in working with board members as individuals and as a group to ascertain attitude, motivations, and values (Doyle, 2009; Mountford, 2004; Mountford&Brunner, 1999; Wait, 1996). The purpose of this study was to determine the perceptions school board members have regarding their motivations and challenges when running for the board of education and challenges encountered once seated on the board. The study utilized a self-administered survey distributed to a random sample of current school board members in a Midwestern state. The state school board association mailed the survey instrument to a random sample of their membership. Researchers disaggregated the data.Seventy-five percent of the school board member respondents were between the ages of 40 and 59 years of age; 55% were male; 45% were female; a majority of board members (74%) had a college or advanced degree; 60% of the respondents had six or fewer years of experience serving as a board member, with 44% serving three years or less. Fifty percent of the respondents served school districts with less than 1,000 students. Advocacy for student achievement, accountability, ensuring taxpayer money is well-spent, civic responsibility, and a desire to influence district educational policies were the chief motivators in running for the board. Criticism from internal and external stakeholders, as well as high visibility, coupled with family demands and responsibilities were perceived as major challenges when running for the board. Board members perceived the greatest challenges once seated on the board as increased visibility, facing criticism, and uncertainty regarding their ability to be effective board members. These data provide educational leaders insight into the characteristics and needs of people currently serving on boards of education in one state. 

Ncpea education leadership review: portland conference special edition, volume 12, number 3 (october 2011)

This manuscript has been peer-reviewed, accepted, and endorsed by the National Council of Professors of Educational Administration (NCPEA) as a significant contribution to the scholarship and practice of education administration. In addition to publication in the Connexions Content Commons, this module is published in the Education Leadership Review: Special Portland Conference Issue (October 2011) , ISSN 1532-0723. Formatted and edited in Connexions by Theodore Creighton and Brad Bizzell, Virginia Tech and Janet Tareilo, Stephen F. Austin State University.

Introduction

School boards have existed for over two centuries; their roles, relationships, and responsibilities have changed dramatically because of dynamic societal forces. At no time has this been more evident than in the past decade because of increased global competition and the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001. Civic leaders, politicians and economic forecasters have called for increased accountability in public schools. NCLB initiated federal mandates establishing a sense of urgency to address accountability. With the onset of this act, states and local school districts became responsible for the academic achievement of all students. Sanctions were employed by the state and federal government on those school districts that did not meet adequate yearly progress, eroding local control. School boards are now in the spotlight requiring them to assume responsibility for monitoring and reporting student achievement results. According to the 2010 study on school board members, findings indicate members believe there must be a collective responsibility for student achievement. Two thirds of the school board members agreed that dramatic and rapid improvements in student learning must be made and high expectations must be the order of the day (Hess&Meeks, 2010). A sense of urgency has now emerged for school board members. Their roles and responsibilities have been redefined, impacting the motivations and challenges of individuals seeking board membership. Understanding this paradigm shift in responsibilities is important to superintendents, aspiring superintendents, and board members as they prepare to work collaboratively toward the common goal of increased student achievement. This valuable information will help educational leaders redesign their preparation programs.

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Source:  OpenStax, Education leadership review special issue: portland conference, volume 12, number 3 (october 2011). OpenStax CNX. Oct 17, 2011 Download for free at http://cnx.org/content/col11362/1.5
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