Document Type
Issue Area One
Abstract
According to Gwendolyn C. Baker (1992), conflict and confusion are rampant in school boards across the nation simply because too many board members stray from their policy-making responsibilities to assume responsibilities for operational matters. Baker described an effective board member as one who understands the job involves setting goals, developing policies, and monitoring the budget. The day-to-day operations should be left solely to the superintendent. A school board that extends its purview over administrative areas is doomed to fail.
Burke (1992) noted educational researchers have contended for years that school boards are overly involved in school administration because they are unwilling or incapable of separating policy making from policy administering. Yet others have insisted that superintendents lacked a clear understanding of the distinction between policy making and policy administering. Are the board and superintendent roles ambiguous? Or, are the distinctions genuine but blurred in their mutual perceptions? Burke concluded that healthy school board-superintendent relations are essential to effective school management.
Journal Title
Institute for Educational Leadership Monograph Series
Volume
4
Issue
1
First Page
36
Last Page
39
Publisher
Institute for Educational Leadership, University of Northern Iowa
City
Cedar Falls, IA
Copyright
©1993 Institute for Educational Leadership, College of Education, and University of Northern Iowa
Language
en
File Format
application/pdf
Recommended Citation
Williams, Thomas L.
(1993)
"Working Toward Smooth Board/Superintendent Relationships,"
Institute for Educational Leadership Monograph Series: Vol. 4:
No.
1, Article 12.
Available at:
https://scholarworks.uni.edu/iel_monographs/vol4/iss1/12
