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This study compares present policies and procedures for selection of school board members in districts of The Council of Great City Schools with those advocated by board members, professional educators, and representatives of lay organizations. To determine present selection policies for school board members, a questionnaire was sent to the business manager of each participating district. Replies were received from twenty-one of the districts and presented in tables including number and percentage of respondents for each item. To determine opinions of board members, professional educators, and members of lay organizations, a thirty-five-item questionnaire was mailed to 190 board members, 22 school superintendents, 19 college professors, 19 PTA representatives, 22 NAACP representatives, and 11 chamber of commerce representatives. After a return of 200 usable questionnaires, data were presented in separate tables including number of respondents and percentage of respondents. Using the contingency coefficient technique for statistical analysis, null hypotheses were formulated to test relationships between the opinion of respondent groups and selection policies and procedures actually in use. The chi square test was applied to test the relationships, with the .05 level of significance as the criterion. Results were tabulated collectively. Tabulated results indicate that board members should be elected at general elections on a non-partisan basis representing at-large districts, should serve four-year, overlapping, unrestricted terms, should meet local legal requirements, should receive some type of compensation, and should not represent occupational and other special interest groups. Based on this survey, it is recommended that a similar study be made in districts with less population than those districts studied to determine if policies and'procedures for selection of school board members in the districts are comparable.

Thesis (M.ED.) --University of Limpopo, 2008

The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of the school board/superintendent relationship on academic achievement in one Texas school district that serves high-poverty, majority-minority students. Previous studies identified successful school systems with school boards and superintendents who functioned as a true leadership team. However, previous research focused on school board/superintendent relationship and politics, not student achievement. This case study examined the dynamics of the school board/superintendent relationship and how the dynamics of that relationship influenced the academic achievement of its high-poverty students who were also the majority-minority. The methodology was an intrinsic and qualitative case study which used the constructive perspective and the researcher as the primary instrument for gathering data (Stake, 1988; Patton, 2002). Qualitative data was collected using a loosely structured focus group, individual interviews, and an examination of district documents and records. The research suggests that the dynamics of the school board/superintendent relationship tend to be centered on politics and political power. Politics and political power are impacted by the changing majority/minority composition of the school board, which may lead to instability in the superintendent’s relationship with the board. The research also corroborates previous studies in which effective communication, trust, collaboration, support, and a constant focus on student achievement are the essential building blocks of an effective school board/superintendent relationship. Further, the research supports many other studies which found that the campus principal’s focus on was the catalyst for improved student achievement. Even though educators believe and support the notion that collaborative leadership between the school board and the superintendent is key to the attainment of high academic achievement, this study found there was no apparent effect of the school board/superintendent relationship on the academic achievement of its students. This research has practical implications which may be useful to superintendents and school boards as they face the daily challenges and responsibilities of managing and improving academic achievement. / text

Thesis (MTech. degree in Education.)--Tshwane University of Technology, 2011. / The process of appointment procedures was shifted to the school governing bodies following the changes made to the education system since 1994, after the country's first democratic elections. Decisions made by the school governing bodies about whom to recommend to the Regional Director for appointment, have been questioned. The schools, known for producing good results in the past, started showing declining results when new principals who were recommended by the school governing bodies, were appointed. Arguments about how effective school governing bodies are as Human Resource officers at schools have necessitated this study, particularly the appointment procedures in the Mount Fletcher District in the Eastern Cape Province.

This study of intergovernmental relations in education explored the nature of school district political responses to provincial government policies in British Columbia. Specifically, it examined the practice of a particular set of political responses (Elkin, 1975): coalition, socialization of the conflict, making use of a supraorganization, exchange, co-optation and penetration. Based on theoretical and empirical studies of governmental policy making (Doern and Phidd, 1983; Lowi, 1964, 1972; Rowat, 1980; Simeon, 1976) and interorganizational influence (Elkin, 1975; Rhodes, 1980), a three dimensional conceptual framework was developed consisting of policy types, school district types and types of political response. Ministry policy type was classified according to !?regulatory! (instructions for school districts to integrate severly handicapped children into regular school programs) and “distributive” (guidelines to school districts for capital expenditure allocations). School district type was distinguished by school board partisanship and regional—metropolitan variants. Ultimately, three school districts were chosen for indepth investigation and comparative analysis. This study may be regarded as an academic policy analysis using a multi-case study methodology. Based on interviews with key district office personnel and school trustees, along with document analysis and other evidence, the study yielded thick descriptions of the operational characteristics ‘of each political response in action. This study substantiated the proposition that political behaviour is characterized by certain patterns or regularities. However, while the “language” of organizational response proposed by Elkin (1975) provides insight and guidance for the study of intergovernmental relations, it does not appear to be comprehensive. Other district political responses come into play. Nevertheless, the findings of this study support Elkin’s proposition that the political responses of local government organizations are closely associated with their dependency on environmental resources. Application of the multi—case methodology in this research supports the contention of certain policy researchers that it is possible to combine intensity of study with comparative variations of key variables. The inter—disciplinary nature of this study, along with the systematic use of different kinds of definitions and the interactive opportunities associated with “on site” observation, were found to be very important and necessary features of this qualitative research. The findings and conclusions suggest that research should be undertaken on other typologies of political influence which were identified in the course of this study. Incorporation of what organizational theorists refer to as “resource dependency theory,” or “the political economy perspective” may aid in examining more comprehensively how school districts, as special purpose governments, adapt to provincial government authority. The study concludes with speculations about the nature and usefulness of school district political responses within the context of local-provincial relations in education.

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Since the establishment of SGBs in 1996, one of the key problems confronting provincial education departments has been the building of capacity of SGB members. This is more so in the previously marginalised and disadvantaged school communities. These structures could not claim to be democratic enough without the necessary skills and knowledge for parent component members to participate fully in school governance. The purpose of this study then, was to explore the nature and function of the parent component of rural School Governing Bodies (SGB) with regard to school governance as stipulated by the South African Schools Act, 84 of 1996 (SASA). As it is anticipated that members of the SGBs and the parents in rural area; cannot lead on the governance issues, this study, therefore, hoped to identify the barriers that the stop parent component from functioning effectively. Hence, social capital theory was used to measure the imbalances within the SGBs of two Primary Schools in Ntabamhlophe Circuit which falls under the Estcourt Circuit Management Centre (Estcourt CMC). This is a qualitative research study, situated in the interpretive paradigm with the aim of investigating the nature and functions of the parent component in the rural School Governing Body in two primary schools in KwaZulu-Natal. The key question with regard to addressing the investigation also concerns the parent competencies in practicing the policies as stipulated in SASA. The secondary questions look at how ‘social capital’ impacts on the rural SGBs as well as dynamics between policy and practise in relation to decision- making. This in-depth investigation of parental involvement utilised semi-structured interviews, observation as well as documents to gather data. The research population for each school constituted the principal, chairperson of the SGB, two parents, two educators and one noneducator. As the focus was on the parent component: - the age, qualification and experiences with regard to school governance was highlighted. This does not mean my study was a quantitative one as well but this would establish the changes that would have added value to the life of these parents. The findings revealed that most of the parent components in the SGBs are unemployed and being unemployed resulted in poor networking with other SGBs of other schools. Illiteracy is one of the impediments that impacted negatively towards being involved effectively in the governance of these two schools. The findings further reveal that parents could not adopt and interpret policies that pertain to finances as well as administering schools’ property, without explanation by the principals. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2012.

The study investigated role relationships of School Governing Body (SGB) chairpersons and principals in school governance in selected primary and secondary schools in the KwaMashu area. Through the provision of the South African Schools Act, 84 of 1996; the chairperson and the principal are leaders in the governing body and school management team respectively. Moreover the principal is an ex-officio member of the governing body. Literature and my experience as an educator suggested that, there existed conflict between the parent governors and principals in general; and SGB chairpersons and principals in particular. The purpose of the study therefore was to investigate whether or not SGB chairpersons and principals understand their roles in school governance. This was a multi-site case study of four schools in the same locality. The study was conducted through semi-structured interviews; observation and document analysis. The findings suggest that SGB chairpersons and principals appeared to have an understanding of one’s and each other’s roles. However, a deeper examination of the situation suggests that this apparent clarity was superficial. It was so in that from the principals’ perspective, it was fine if chairpersons permanently needed their assistance in performing their governance duties. It also emerged that the inexperienced governing body chairpersons and principals lacked adequate understanding of their governance roles and those of each other. There was apparent harmonious working between principals and chairpersons which was arising because of inequality between chairpersons and principals in terms of educational levels. However, there were areas of conflict between the two parties especially regarding the control of finances, and the selection and appointment of educators. The study recommends that schools should design their own training programmes where they could invite departmental officials or other consultants to train their own people. Schools should also be adequately linked to centres such as Adult Basic Education and Training to develop their own people. This will help in equipping parent governors with sufficient knowledge and skills regarding their governance responsibilities. The study also recommends that further studies be conducted around induction programmes to make them more useful. / Thesis (M.Ed.) - University of KwaZulu-Natal, 2007.

This study investigated the challenges experienced by school governing bodies in the implementation of the code of conduct for learners. A case study was conducted in two secondary schools from the Mafukuzela-Gandhi circuit in the Pinetown Region of KwaZulu-Natal. The aims of this study was to find out how SGBs implement the code of conduct for learners at their schools; what challenges SGBs experienced in the implementation of the code of conduct for learners and why SGBs are regarded as the most important structure to implement the code of conduct for learners. This qualitative study was set in the interpretivist paradigm. The research tools compromises of semi-structured interviews, documents analysis and observations. The two theories which underpin this study are democratic school governance theory and discipline theory. A review of international and local literature around issues of discipline revealed that some of the challenges of learner discipline encountered by South African Schools were being experienced world-wide. The findings of this research were a revelation to me. I had the privilege of experiencing first-hand what secondary schools educators, managers and parents encountered and dealt with on a daily basis. It is evident that learner misdemeanor is on the increase; educator’s teaching time is being consumed in dealing with disciplinary issues; educators are becoming frustrated and demoralised; the tribunal hearing are not regarded as an effective structure by learners; parental involvement is lacking and parents seem to have abdicated the responsibility of their children’s behaviour and education to the school and SGB parents play a limited role in the activities of the school due to their incapacity and lack of empowerment. Some of the recommendations based on the findings are that schools must involve all stakeholders in the formulation of the policy. The contents and procedures outlined in the policy must be communicated to all stakeholders and there must be consistency in its application. SGBs must formulate innovative strategies to engage parents to actively participate in the activities of the school. The Department of Education must fulfill its obligation to capacitate parent and other stakeholders on the SGB. An empowered SGB will make a greater contribution to the governance of schools. / Thesis (M.Ed.) - University of KwaZulu-Natal, Edgewood, 2012.