A comparison of Missouri school board best practices based on school district size, level of success, and geographic region

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to research both imperially validated and conceptualized school board best practices, as well as their utilization within Missouri school districts from differing geographic regions, with differing total school populations and differing level of school success. School success for this study was defined as district level of improvement. This quantitative study surveyed 99 Missouri school board members using the Missouri School Board Practices Survey (MSBPS). The MSBPS contains 24 items separated into four subscales: (a) creating a vision, (b) setting goals and remaining committed, (c) using data, and (d) monitoring progress and taking corrective action. The MSBPS was developed by adapting items from the Board Self-Assessment Questionnaire (Smoley, 1999) and by developing new items consistent with school board best-practices identified through a review of relevant research. The findings of the study revealed a significant difference in only one of the MSBPS subscales, Monitoring Progress and Taking Corrective Action. These findings indicate small school districts (less than 500) report different utilization of monitoring progress and taking corrective action than do larger schools (1600 or more students).