Download or read book School Board Training Effects on Student Achievement written by Cherise Evette Revell and published by . This book was released on 2011 with total page 208 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Issue and Purpose In the age of accountability and high stakes testing, school boards cannot simply be a representative body of the community; they must be functional governing bodies with effective trustees that hold the district accountable for student results. Public school board members can positively influence student achievement by acting within their policy and accountability roles and creating a positive district culture of learning. Likewise, providing school board members with quality training opportunities could help board members understand and appreciate the power of their policy and accountability functions and help dissuade them from delving into administrative functions that distract from districts goals. For this reason, pinpointing exactly how board governance training changes behavior and which board actions impact district and school site culture merits additional research and evaluation. Along this vein, the purpose of this study is to discover whether school board actions, specifically completing governance training, have any quantifiable influence on student achievement in their districts. Scope, Limitations, Procedures In order to test this question, I used data from all 1,000 school districts in California for 2003, 2005, and 2007 and a pooled data set of all three years and performed multiple regression analyses to control for a variety of student, social, school site, and district administrative factors. I compiled district data for this study from the following sources: the California Department of Education, EdData, and the California School Boards Association. It is important to note that this study uses district level data, including district API scores and is therefore not measuring the affect of school board training on an individual student's achievement. This is significant because some factors that may be important at the site or individual child level may be somewhat different from those factors found to have the greatest impact on the system/district as a whole. One important limitation was the availability of usable data. To perform a regression analysis, all factors must be held constant, meaning every district must have available data for all of the independent variables chosen. In the four data sets, after controlling for each of the 20 independent variables chosen, only 393, 506, 578 and 342 districts remained for the 2003, 2005, 2007, and pooled data set respectively, notably the 342 districts in the pooled data set actually represent 1029 individual observations. The explanatory variables chosen for this regression model cover aggregate student ethnicity data, income, parent education level, special student needs, teacher and classroom variables, financial and administrative variables, and lastly school board variables on ethnicity, board consistency and board training. Results and Recommendations My results conform to previous literature in that the student and social inputs have the most significant impact on student achievement, followed by school site and teacher inputs coming as a close second. My results also indicate that some district administrative variables have a small but significant impact on district achievement. In regards to my key explanatory variables, individual and team training, I found that there was not a statistically significant relationship between board training and achievement at the district level, but that there is a statistically significant relationship between board consistency and district results. Board consistency with its limitations from the available data has room to become a much more important area of study and possible connection between board training and district achievement, where completing board training results in longevity and stability on the board, which in turn improves district results. My results also indicate a need additional research on district climate and culture, a variable I could not measure but has been shown in previous literature to link board actions to district results. Due to the limitations of the data and need for future research, I detail some recommendations for the California School Boards Association that can help fix current data limitations and also help the association build its research capacity and agenda for the future.
Download or read book The School Board Effect written by Alexander U. Ikejiaku, Ph.D. and published by Author House. This book was released on 2013-08 with total page 207 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Every school board adopts a unique governing style which affects the way the district is managed. This book identifies some of those styles and examines their potential impact on district administration, and ultimately on student achievement. The book also clarifies the role of school boards in unequivocal terms, discusses board-superintendent relations, and offers several recommendations and critical takeaways for education stakeholders. The author's doctoral research which gave rise to this book shows that a school board's governing style has the potential to affect educational outcomes in consequential ways, particularly in urban districts where the greatest impact was observed. A content outline for a set of professional development modules on school board governance is provided in the book, including an in depth review of the roles and responsibilities of school boards, and some case studies on board-superintendent interaction.
Download or read book Educating the Student Body written by Committee on Physical Activity and Physical Education in the School Environment and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2013-11-13 with total page 503 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Physical inactivity is a key determinant of health across the lifespan. A lack of activity increases the risk of heart disease, colon and breast cancer, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, osteoporosis, anxiety and depression and others diseases. Emerging literature has suggested that in terms of mortality, the global population health burden of physical inactivity approaches that of cigarette smoking. The prevalence and substantial disease risk associated with physical inactivity has been described as a pandemic. The prevalence, health impact, and evidence of changeability all have resulted in calls for action to increase physical activity across the lifespan. In response to the need to find ways to make physical activity a health priority for youth, the Institute of Medicine's Committee on Physical Activity and Physical Education in the School Environment was formed. Its purpose was to review the current status of physical activity and physical education in the school environment, including before, during, and after school, and examine the influences of physical activity and physical education on the short and long term physical, cognitive and brain, and psychosocial health and development of children and adolescents. Educating the Student Body makes recommendations about approaches for strengthening and improving programs and policies for physical activity and physical education in the school environment. This report lays out a set of guiding principles to guide its work on these tasks. These included: recognizing the benefits of instilling life-long physical activity habits in children; the value of using systems thinking in improving physical activity and physical education in the school environment; the recognition of current disparities in opportunities and the need to achieve equity in physical activity and physical education; the importance of considering all types of school environments; the need to take into consideration the diversity of students as recommendations are developed. This report will be of interest to local and national policymakers, school officials, teachers, and the education community, researchers, professional organizations, and parents interested in physical activity, physical education, and health for school-aged children and adolescents.
Download or read book District Leadership That Works written by Robert J. Marzano and published by Solution Tree Press. This book was released on 2009-11-01 with total page 297 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Bridge the great divide between distanced administrative duties and daily classroom impact. This book introduces a top-down power mechanism called defined autonomy, a concept that focuses on district-defined, nonnegotiable, common goals and a system of accountability supported by assessment tools. Defined autonomy creates an effective balance of centralized direction and individualized empowerment that allows building-level staff the stylistic freedom to respond quickly and effectively to student failure.
Download or read book School Board Members Perceptions of the Impact of Professional Development on Their Board related Activities written by Bervil Earl Marsh (Jr.) and published by . This book was released on 2014 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Responses were consistent in relation to district size and diversity, but varied greatly in relation to gender and level of Lighthouse participation. Study results (1) suggest that professional development for board members can have a positive impact on student achievement, (2) demonstrate the critical importance of training for boards, and (3) have strong implications for policy and practice at the local, state, and federal levels. Implications for further research include expanding the inquiry beyond eastern Washington and studying school boards in high achieving, non-Lighthouse districts.
Download or read book The School Board Effect written by Alexander U. Ikejiaku and published by AuthorHouse. This book was released on 2013-08-12 with total page 205 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Every school board adopts a unique governing style which affects the way the district is managed. This book identifies some of those styles and examines their potential impact on district administration, and ultimately on student achievement. The book also clarifies the role of school boards in unequivocal terms, discusses board-superintendent relations, and offers several recommendations and critical takeaways for education stakeholders. The authors doctoral research which gave rise to this book shows that a school boards governing style has the potential to affect educational outcomes in consequential ways, particularly in urban districts where the greatest impact was observed. A content outline for a set of professional development modules on school board governance is provided in the book, including an in depth review of the roles and responsibilities of school boards, and some case studies on board-superintendent interaction.
Download or read book Improving School Board Effectiveness written by Thomas L. Alsbury and published by Harvard Education Press. This book was released on 2017-11-14 with total page 224 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Improving School Board Effectiveness offers a clarifying and essential look at the evolving role of school boards and how they contribute to efforts to improve student learning. It examines how board members can establish effective district priorities, and it explores those board policies and actions that result in shared, districtwide commitments to heightened student achievement. This book arises out of a critical need for a better understanding of school boards and the development of helpful tools and guidelines for school board members. At its heart is the notion of Balanced Governance, a principle that most generally “balances the authority of a superintendent to lead a school district with the necessary oversight of a locally engaged and knowledgeable board.” Improving School Board Effectiveness is a helpful and practical book that will prove indispensable for school board members, school and district administrators, and everyone with a stake in school improvement and reform.
Download or read book The Impact of School Boards on Student Achievement Efforts written by Robert P. Harney and published by . This book was released on 2016 with total page 117 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The purpose of this qualitative study was to investigate the perceptions of school boards' impact on student achievement. To achieve this, three interrelated groups were studied: school board members, superintendents, and parents. Participating were twelve sitting school board members, six sitting superintendents, and fourteen parents of school aged children. The findings of this research identified areas of conceptual agreement within each group as well as significant areas of disagreement. These differences highlighted issues that can impact a district's ability to work with all necessary constituents to improve the student achievement efforts in their school districts. This study, though not a comparative study among the three groups, did reveal interesting and fundamental areas of both agreement and disagreement between each group. Communication was a prominent theme as an area of need when looking at the attempts of all three groups while working toward achievement goals in their respective districts. Additionally, board member knowledge of their own impact on student achievement, as well as the understanding parents have about school boards' potential effect, showed areas where improvements could be made that may improve districts' student achievement efforts. Areas of varied perspectives highlight potential systemic deficiencies. Findings also provide some direction for possible solutions to solidify attempts to implement a unified effort to improve districts' student achievement goals as well as their educational programs.
Download or read book Vanishing School Boards written by Patrick Rice and published by R&L Education. This book was released on 2013-12-11 with total page 297 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Since Nation at Risk, NCLB and RTT, the once thought sacred institution of school boards as catalysts to ensure local control of schools is being redefined and are under heavy attack. Increasingly, school boards are disappearing from the discussion of promoting student achievement and their role as educational decision-makers have significantly declined. The aims of public education are gradually being federalized and privatized. In Vanishing School Boards, author Patrick Rice give various reasons for the descent of school boards, reasons why school boards are vital, the importance of board training and how the superintendent can assist the board in their mission of delivering a quality education to all students.
Download or read book The Education Mayor written by Kenneth K. Wong and published by Georgetown University Press. This book was released on 2007 with total page 271 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In 2002 the No Child Left Behind Act rocked America's schools with new initiatives for results-based accountability. But years before NCLB was signed, a new movement was already under way by mayors to take control of city schools from school boards and integrate the management of public education with the overall governing of the city. The Education Mayor is a critical look at mayoral control of urban school districts, beginning with Boston's schools in 1992 and examining more than 100 school districts in 40 states. The authors seek to answer four central questions: * What does school governance look like under mayoral leadership? * How does mayoral control affect school and student performance? * What are the key factors for success or failure of integrated governance? * How does mayoral control effect practical changes in schools and classrooms? The results of their examination indicate that, although mayoral control of schools may not be appropriate for every district, it can successfully emphasize accountability across the education system, providing more leverage for each school district to strengthen its educational infrastructure and improve student performance. Based on extensive quantitative data as well as case studies, this analytical study provides a balanced look at America's education reform. As the first multidistrict empirical examination and most comprehensive overall evaluation of mayoral school reform, The Education Mayor is a must-read for academics, policymakers, educational administrators, and civic and political leaders concerned about public education.
Download or read book Roles and Responsibilities of Local School Board Members in Relation to Student Achievement written by Mary L. Delagardelle and published by . This book was released on 2006 with total page 410 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This research investigated school board members' perceptions about their roles and responsibilities for improving student learning, and examined contextual factors and characteristics that influence those beliefs. The study involved both quantitative and qualitative methods of analysis and the results surfaced several areas that shed light on potential needs for the leadership development of board-superintendent teams. The research focused on two questions: (a) Which governance roles and responsibilities do board members believe are most important to positively impact student learning? and (b) Do some contextual factors and characteristics have more influence on the board members' beliefs about their roles and responsibilities for improving student learning than others? Data were collected from an online statewide survey completed by 718 local and regional board members and their top administrators. Additional data sources included: (a) interviews with local school board members and superintendents, (b) school finance data, (c) board member training and tenure data provided by the state school board association, and (e) statewide student achievement data. The analysis of the data also revealed a particular region in the state wherein board members (a) expressed lower expectations for their roles; (b) placed less importance on specific responsibilities tied closely to improving student achievement; (c) appeared to have a very limited understanding of what is required for systemic change of student learning; (d) participated in less training; and (e) the achievement of students was lower than other parts of the state. In addition, participants revealed: (a) a shared uncertainty and lack of confidence about the role of the board for improving achievement; (b) a concern about separating their role from the role of district staff; (c) a lack of concern about the school community connection; and (d) a perceived need for educational expertise to make a meaningful contribution in their role as a board member. The research findings suggest implications for both practice and future research. Attention to these implications and recommendations will contribute to strengthening critical linkages between school governance and the improvement of student achievement in schools.
Download or read book School Board Member and Superintendent Dispositions Relating to Student Achievement written by Connie Jean Maxson and published by . This book was released on 2006 with total page 268 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The purpose of this study was to determine whether local school board members who have been subjected to more of a specific type of training focused on student achievement create and support conditions in their systems that enable students to achieve at high levels. Of specific interest was the change in disposition of the board members and superintendents as a result of the training. Educational research has endorsed the idea that school districts cannot effectively raise student achievement without strong leadership and teamwork from the school board and the superintendent. Results from this study indicated that board members who participated in more intensive training related to topics around leadership and student achievement consistently identified this training as having an influence on the disposition of the board and the behaviors they exhibited at board meetings. This was demonstrated by the systematic approach to their work with less micromanaging, the use of data in their decisions, a district focus on reading comprehension, and by an "all really does mean all students" attitude when making decisions related to student achievement. Iowa schools continue to face the, challenge of improving student achievement. Schools and school leaders are being asked by policy makers to ensure that all students reach a level of proficiency or face risks and consequences of failure. Past research has focused on the policy development of boards of education rather than on the training and support that board members received. This study concluded that, if board members are going to lead districts in student learning efforts, training for the board members does matter. Among the recommendations were regular self-assessment, and mandated development and training to improve the governance performance of local boards. This training should include a focus on developing a shared vision focused on student learning. Additionally, the training should include devising strategies to develop skills in demonstrating shared decision-making, supporting regular school-wide staff development, using data and information on student needs to make decisions, and developing a close connection among the schools, parents, and community.
Download or read book The Future of School Board Governance written by Thomas L. Alsbury and published by R & L Education. This book was released on 2008 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Future of School Board Governance combines theoretical debate as well as empirical evidence of the effectiveness and relevancy of local school boards today. Original theorists of competing school board governance theories, current researchers, and researcher/practitioners provided the latest empirical data about the role of school boards as well as applications for practitioners in the field. Such a combination of readings is rarely found in a single volume. This book has a unique and distinguished set of contributors representing a virtual Who's Who among governance researchers. Many of these authors represent the major school governance theorists of the 20th century. While other books generally include only scholars from a single academic field, this list of authors includes some of the top scholars in the fields of political science, educational administration, and sociology. The authors also come from the practitioner field including numerous former school administrators, school board members and state associate directors representing over 200 years of collective experience in K-12 education.
Download or read book The Keywork of School Boards Guidebook written by National School Boards Association and published by . This book was released on 2020-08-26 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Newly revised in 2020, NSBA's Key Work of School Boards framework identifies the core skills that effective boards need to ensure that all students achieve at high levels through excellence in governance.
Download or read book National Board Certification written by Christie Blazer and published by . This book was released on 2010 with total page 16 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The combination of difficult economic times and increased accountability has led policymakers to call for evidence that students taught by National Board of Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS)-certified teachers make greater achievement gains than those taught by non-NBPTS-certified teachers. Overall, studies show mixed results regarding the impact of National Board Certification on student achievement. Some research has found that students assigned to NBPTS-certified teachers make greater achievement gains than students assigned to non-NBPTS-certified teachers, while others have found no such differences. The results of studies have varied depending on the subject area, grade level, and group of teachers analyzed. This review included two studies that can be considered among the most definitive available with regard to testing the efficacy of National Board Certification. Both studies addressed the key issue of whether students taught by NBPTS-certified teachers exhibit greater academic achievement gains than students taught by non-NBPTS-certified teachers. One study was conducted by Cantrell and colleagues (2008) and is to date the only research study addressing National Board Certification that has received the seal of approval (i.e., "well-implemented randomized controlled trial") from the U.S. Department of Education's What Works Clearinghouse. This type of recognition and evaluation carries considerable weight in the field of educational research at the present time. Cantrell and associates found minimal impact of National Board Certification on student achievement in the Los Angeles Unified School District. The other important study, conducted within Florida's own school district and partially funded by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (Cavalluzzo, 2004), found what was described as "robust evidence" for National Board Certification. However, upon closer inspection, one finds a very small positive effect which would be equivalent, for the average student, to a difference of approximately one or two percentile points (Effect Size = 0.07 to 0.08, or 7 to 8 percent of one standard deviation) in favor of students taught by NBPTS-certified teachers. The fact that this finding was statistically significant should not imply high importance since the large sample size used in the study contributed to making such a small effect statistically significant. It can be argued that the size of the difference between NBPTS-certified and non-NBPTS-certified teachers may have been statistically significant, but not in a manner that makes a practical difference in the real world. This Information Capsule presents research on the positive and negative impact of National Board Certification on Student Achievement, as well as the Board's impact on classroom and professional practices. It also shows its impact on teacher retention rates, and describes the unequal distribution of National Board Certified teachers.
Download or read book School Board Governance and Student Achievement written by and published by . This book was released on 2011 with total page 132 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This comparative-descriptive study examined school board members' perceptions of their behaviors and beliefs related to student achievement in California's high-performing poverty districts compared to school board members' perceptions of their behaviors and beliefs related to student achievement in California's low-performing poverty districts. A review of the literature revealed scant empirical research regarding school board governance and student achievement. Among the few studies producing quantitative data, The Lighthouse Inquiry found seven Key Areas of Board Performance, which served as the conceptual framework for this research. This study employed a mixed-methods research design. School board members meeting the study criteria supplied quantitative data through their responses to 56 Likert-type questions administered in an on-line survey. The researcher used descriptive statistics to analyze the quantitative data. In the second phase of the study, qualitative data were collected from two informal, semistructured interviews with one board member from a high-performing school district meeting the criteria for this study and one board member from a low-performing school district meeting the criteria for this study. The survey and interview data indicate more similarities than differences between the behaviors and beliefs of school board members in high- and low-performing school districts. The results from survey responses aggregated for each Key Area of Board Performance show the greatest difference in the Key Areas of Connecting with the Community and Deliberative Policy Development. The study concludes that state and federal accountability, governance training, and inadequate school funding play a role in school board governance as it relates to student achievement. Recommendations for further study include empirical research of effective governance training, school board decisions related to funding allocation, school board focus on student learning, and methods used by school boards to connect with community agencies for the purpose of leveraging resources.
Download or read book Training Program Effectiveness Perceptions of Public School Board Members in Connecticut written by and published by . This book was released on 2002 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Training program effectiveness: Perceptions of public school board members in Connecticut.
