Measuring Perceived School Board Effectiveness in Tennessee: The Latest Survey Results

Abstract

Local school board effectiveness is an overlooked social phenomenon in educational leadership, according to much of the academic literature. The lack of effectiveness often found in these governing institutions may be one reason why school achievement is stagnant in Tennessee. As school boards are responsible for the direct operations of local school districts. The purpose of this study is to uncover the amount of perceived effectiveness that local school boards in Tennessee possess. The following research question is the basis of this research: are local school boards in Tennessee effective? The data for this study was gathered from a mailed survey to 815 school board members in Tennessee. The findings suggest that school board members perceive themselves as an effective governing body. Policymakers need to caution the generalizability of this study because it only represents those local school districts in Tennessee. Future studies should incorporate all school districts in the south to see if other states are witnessing the same levels of effectiveness as Tennessee.