Local School Boards Under Review: Their Role and Effectiveness in Relation to Students’ Academic Achievement

Local school boards have traditionally governed public education in the United States but have seldom been the focus of empirical research. This article provides a review of literature published in the past two decades on the role and effectiveness of local school boards, specifically with respect to school boards’ influence on students’ academic achievement. First, a brief history of school boards is presented. Second, their current status is described. Next, school board and educational governance reforms are examined. Then characteristics of effective school boards that experts have identified are delineated. The final section is devoted to discussion of research limitations and future directions.