Reading List
An abbreviated list of references cited in A Framework for School Governance (c)2017 by Rick Maloney, Ed.D. – with comments. For the complete list of 35 references, see Appendix G of the book.
1. Brown, J. (2006). The Imperfect Board Member, San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
In this governance book, Jim Brown urges boards (many of which are reluctant to fulfill an authentic leadership role) to perform the most fundamental of board disciplines: actually directing the organization. He advises boards to keep their noses in the business (monitoring or overseeing the work) and their fingers out (avoiding micromanagement).
2. Carver, J. (1997). Boards That Make A Difference, San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
John Carver advises boards to learn the distinction between board work (that which can only be done by the board) and staff work (that which is done by the CEO and staff under direction by the board); between the board (the official agent of authority, which in the case of school boards is a creation of the state to legally govern the district) and the board member (an individual who takes an oath of office upon election or appointment, and who joins with other individuals to legally constitute a board); between customers (those whom staff is employed to serve) and owners (those fellow citizens on whose behalf the board governs); between ends (what the district is to achieve for students) and means (programs, activities, efforts through which the staff pursues those results).
3. Covey, S. R. (1989). The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, New York, NY: Free Press.
Covey contributes the idea of focusing our work by distinguishing between all those things that are within our circle of interest, then narrowing our attention to work just on those things within the much smaller circle of influence. Boards should not waste their time and attention on what they cannot influence.
4. Crabill, A. J. (2023). Great on Their Behalf, Carson City, NV: Lioncrest Publishing.
Crabill makes the case that school boards are subject to many distractions, almost all a matter of adult interests, that can get in the way of what matters most: student outcomes. Positive student outcomes don’t occur until adult behaviors change. Boards that deliberately focus on student outcomes can achieve positive results for students.
5. Danielson, C. (2007). Enhancing Professional Practice: The Framework for Teaching, 2nd ed., Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
This comprehensive study of teaching responsibilities provides a model for a rubric of board responsibilities that can be used to assess board performance and guide future development.
6. Dervarics C. and O’Brien, E. (2011) “Eight Characteristics of Effective School Boards.”
The Center for Public Education (CPE) sponsored this comprehensive review of research on school board effectiveness, gathering over one hundred lessons derived from published research about school board performance and other publications offering lessons and best practices from experience.
7. Dweck, C. (2006). Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, New York, NY: Ballantyne Books.
This, like the research described in the Iowa Studies (see #15, Lamonte, Dellagardelle and Vander Zyl) provides a research basis for the idea that educators with a growth mindset about students, combined with individual effort, leads to higher student achievement.
8. Duckworth, A. (2016). Grit: The Power and Passion of Perseverance. New York, NY: Scribner.
This book provides research that complements the work found in Mindset so that students who are encouraged to put forth individual effort (re: growth mindset) are more likely to do so if they develop grit through passion and persistence.
9. Eadie, D. (2005). Five Habits of High Impact School Boards, Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield.
Doug Eadie encourages us to think strategically about the board role, its relationship with the superintendent, and the importance of developing the board’s governing capacity.
10. Gemberling, K., Smith, C., and Villani, J. (2015). The Key Work of School Boards Alexandria, VA: National School Boards Association.
First published in 1999, this NSBA publication describes and gives considerable background explaining why the board should pay attention to 8 key areas for school board work: Vision; Standards; Assessment; Accountability; Alignment; Climate; Collaborative Partnerships; and Continuous Improvement.
The 2015 edition reduced this to 5 key areas: Vision (the board gives voice to a strategic community vision: mission, goals, and objectives); Accountability (the board is responsible for and accounts to the community for district success); Policy (the board provides operational guidance); Community Leadership (the board provides strategic voice for community values and vision); and Relationships (the board connects with the community to learn its values, hopes and dreams for students). All these attributes can be developed and applied by school boards.
11. Goodman, R.H., Fulbright, L., and Zimmerman, W.G. (1997). Getting There from Here: School Board- Superintendent Collaboration Creating a School Governance Team Capable of Raising Student Achievement. Arlington, VA: Educational Research Service and New England School Development Council.
This report focuses on the governance team of board and superintendent and contain exceptionally useful recommendations for school boards.
12. Goodman, R.H., and Zimmerman, W.G. (2000) Thinking Differently: Recommendations for 21st Century School Board/Superintendent Student Achievement. Arlington, VA: Educational Research Service and New England School Development Council.
This report extends Goodman and Zimmerman’s focus (re: Getting There from Here) on the board-superintendent governance team, with more useful recommendations for school board effectiveness.
13. Greenleaf, R. K. (1977). Servant Leadership: A Journey into the Nature of Legitimate Power and Greatness, NY: Paulist Press.
This work encourages leaders at all levels to balance their commitment to lead (it is essential that the leader take charge) with a foundational commitment to serve, including serving those they lead.
14. Hess, F. (1999). Spinning Wheels: The Politics of Urban School Reform, Harrisonburg, VA: R.R. Donnelly and Sons.
Frederick Hess cautions boards, because of the frequency of superintendent turnover, not to rely on the superintendent for long-range strategic thinking. The board (not individual board members, who have their own turnover pattern, but the “board as a whole”) is the permanent member of the board-superintendent team.
15. LaMonte, H., Delagardelle, M., and Vander Zyl, T., (2007). “The Lighthouse Research: Past, Present and Future: School Board Leadership for Improving Student Achievement.” Des Moines, IA: Iowa School Boards Foundation, Information Briefing, April 2007, Vol. 1, No. 9.
This research study provides a direct link between school boards and measurable results for students, finding (among other things) that more effective boards have “elevating views” about student learning.
16. Marzano, R., and Waters, J.T. (2009). District Leadership That Works: Striking the Right Balance. Bloomington, IN: Mid-Continent Research for Education and Learning.
Robert Marzano and Tim Waters provide research-based conclusions about superintendent leadership that, because of the close relationship between the school board and the superintendent, encourage boards to learn about the benefits of long-term goals and superintendent longevity.
17. National School Board Association (2006). Becoming a Better Board Member: A guide to effective school service. Alexandria, VA: National School Boards Association.
A longstanding resource document that was first published in 1982 and was given to me by the superintendent when I joined our board in 1995. In that book the responsibilities of school boards are arranged in four functional areas (Vision, Structure, Accountability, and Advocacy). These four areas align with three of the domains in this framework: Strategic Voice (Vision and Advocacy); Operational Guidance (Structure); and Accountability.
18. Quinn, R. and Dawson, L. (2011). Good Governance is a Choice: A Way to Re-create Your Board – the Right Way. New York, NY: Rowman & Littlefield Education.
Randy Quinn and Linda Dawson effectively describe obstacles to board effectiveness, and features that characterize high-performing boards. Like Carver, they emphasize the importance of boards actually monitoring for results and for compliance with policy guidance.
19. Togneri, W., and Anderson, S. (2003). Beyond Islands of Excellence: What Schools Can Do to Improve Instruction and Achievement in All Schools. Baltimore, MD: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development and Learning First Alliance.