0.9 Moody, m. (september 2011). superintendent–board relations:  (Page 3/9)

In this “New World,” the conception of local school boards and the resultant strong commitment to the ideal of local control grew out of the town meeting form of government espoused by the predominately Puritan settlers of the American Northeast—an area now known as New England. The evolution of the local school board was precipitated by the convergence of several social and political forces (Cubberley, 1948; Knezevich, 1984). These social and political forces began to come into play as the growing complexities and responsibilities of local school governance created a need for the town committees to appoint a separate council of “select men” (also often referred to as chosen men) to attend to the educational needs of the community (Hoyle, English,&Steffy, 1998; Knezevich, 1984; Theobald, 2005). As the following text illustrates, this application of the “select men” or “chosen men” construct to school governance set the stage for the development of the decentralized school governance structures in place today.

While the historical development of educational governance and delivery in America was quite haphazard during the early years of our history, a series of events unfolded during the middle of the 17 ^th century that would ultimately impact the muddled approach to formal education in the new world. This series of events would also serve to mark the birth of the uniquely American configuration of educational governance that is currently in place.

In 1642, the Massachusetts Colony adopted landmark educational legislation requiring that local chosen men assure that “parents and masters” were making provisions for training in learning and labor, and they were also charged with providing children with the skills necessary to “read&understand the principles of religion&the capital laws of this country” (Cubberley, 1948, p. 364). The passage of the Massachusetts Law of 1642 was significant in that “for the first time in the English-speaking world, a legislative body representing the State ordered that all children should be taught to read” (Cubberley, p. 364). This initial commitment by the “state” to assume the responsibility for the education of its citizens would ultimately set the stage for the development of a strong and lasting system of public schools.

As educational processes continued to become increasingly complex and time consuming, the management and leadership function of public schooling slowly shifted from the committee of select men to a specially appointed school committee which would eventually become the contemporary school board (Bjork, 2000; Hoyle et al., 1998; Knezevich, 1984; Tyack&Hansot, 1982). While the Massachusetts Law of 1642 was historically monumental, it did not “establish schools, or direct the employment of school-masters. The provision of education, after the English fashion was still left with the homes” (Cubberley, 1948, p. 365). Therefore, after five years of disappointing results, the Massachusetts General Court enacted subsequent legislation which would ultimately change the face of education in America forever. The Massachusetts Law of 1647, also commonly known as the Old Deluder Satan Act , (Cubberley; Hoyle et al.; Knezevich) required that “towns of 50 or more households had to employ a teacher of reading and writing and towns of 100 or more households had to provide a grammar school that would prepare students to attend the university” (Cubberley, p. 365). The following statement poignantly illustrates the significance of the Old Deluder Satan Act: