R&L Education
Pages: 368
Trim: 6 x 9
978-1-57886-795-0 • Paperback • April 2008 • $92.00 • (£71.00)
Thomas L. Alsbury is currently an assistant professor at North Carolina State University.
Chapter 1 Dissatisfaction Theory of the American Democracy
Part 1 History of School Board Governance Theory and Research
Chapter 2 School Board Research: A Retrospective
Part 2 History of the Changing Roles of School Boards
Part 3 School Board/Superintendent and Authority Relations
Chapter 3 The Evolving Role of School Boards: Retrospect and Prospect
Chapter 4 Leading in an Era of Change:The Micropolitics of Superintendent-Board Relations
Part 4 School Board Democratic Effectiveness
Part 5 School Board's Role in District/Systemic Reform
Chapter 5 Historical and Current Tensions Among Board/Superintendent Teams: Symptoms or Cause?
Part 6 Relevance: School Board Influence on Student Achievement
Chapter 6 Systemic Leadership Amidst Turbulence: Superintendent-School Board Relations Under Pressure
Part 7 Revelation: School Board's Viability and Possible Future
Chapter 7 Money, Interest Groups, and School Board Elections
Chapter 8 Local School Foundations: Equity and the Future of School Funding
Chapter 9 A Descriptive Case Study of Discord & Dissent: The Story of A School Board's Act of Non-Compliance To State And Federal Law
Chapter 10 The Lighthouse Inquiry: Examining the Role of School Board Leadership in the Improvement of Student Achievement
Chapter 11 School Reform, Civic Engagement, and School Board Leadership
Chapter 12 School Board Politics and Student Achievement
Chapter 13 School Boards and Raising Student Outcomes: Reflections (Confessions?) of a Former Urban School Board Member
Chapter 14 Elected Versus Appointed Boards
Chapter 15 Education Mayors & Big City School Boards: New Directions, New Evidence
Tom Alsbuy's book sheds light on the most mysterious of American creations in education, the school board and its relationship to the superintendency. Whatever American education is or can become is hinged right here. It will never be better or worse than this critical intesection allows.
— Fenwick W. English, Teachers College, Ball State University
This collection of superbly edited and arranged papers by many of the nation's premier school board scholars is a treasure chest, with one gem following another. Exactly the right questions are asked, and answered. If you are a school board member, policymaker, researcher, or just care about American?s public schools, read this book.
— Don McAdams, president, Center for Reform of School Systems, Houston
This book raises hard questions about the realities of governance structure for American schools in a period of increased pressure for accountability.
— Richard F. Elmore, Gregory Anrig Professor of Educational Leadership, Harvard Graduate School of Education
A must-read for anyone concerned about the future of local school boards and democracy in education. A legitimate concern has risen as federal power under NCLB and state control increase. Many believe local school boards must quickly activate or may become obsolete; it's that critical. This book tells the complex truths about where local school governance is headed!
— Bruce S. Cooper, PhD, emeritus professor and vice chair, Division of Administration, Policy and Urban Education, Fordham University
The research papers contained in this review have powerful information for school board members, scholars, and educational leaders. Though some articles will disturb, others will confirm the importance of school board leadership in transforming public education…. And they all speak to the need for more research and attention to the vital leadership role that school boards must play in achieving educational excellence for every child.
— Anne L. Bryant, executive director emerita, National School Boards Association
This is a very overdue, comprehensive discussion of the importance of school boards in the governance of America's schools. Thomas Alsbury has collected the current thoughts of the most prominent scholars on boards in this volume. It is a must read for superintendents, board members, students and professors of educational leadership.
— Margaret Grogan, department chair and professor, Educational Leadership & Policy Studies, University of Missouri-Columbia