Date of Degree
2025
Degree Name
Ed.D. (Doctor of Education)
Department
Department of Leadership, Educational Psychology, and Foundations (LEPF)
Director
Patrick Roberts
Committee Members
Puckett, Tiffany; Wasonga, Theresa
Keywords
school boards, effective governance, effective behaviors, effective characteristics, Dervarics and O'Brien, policy, oversight, superintendents perspectives, Illinois, qualitative inquiry
Abstract
Effective school board governance plays a critical role in shaping the success of school districts. This study examines the perspectives of 10 superintendents from elementary school districts in South Cook County, Illinois, on what constitutes an effective school board and explores how their views align with or diverge from Dervarics and O’Brien’s Eight Characteristics of Effective School Boards.
A general qualitative inquiry with a descriptive methodology was utilized to capture the lived experiences and perspectives of superintendents regarding school board governance. Data collection involved standardized, semi-structured interviews and a web-based survey, allowing for a comprehensive exploration of superintendent viewpoints. An inductive analysis was employed to capture superintendents’ perspectives on effective school board governance, while a deductive analysis was used to compare their views to Dervarics and O’Brien’s framework.
The study found that superintendents identified five key themes central to effective school board governance, each supported by three core elements. Additionally, the findings revealed that superintendents introduced three new concepts related to effective school board governance, suggesting potential gaps between operational priorities and relational dynamics when compared to Dervarics and O’Brien’s framework. Relational dynamics received greater emphasis from superintendents, indicating that effective governance is not solely about policy and oversight but also about fostering strong relationships and collaboration between the board and district leadership. These findings contribute to the existing body of knowledge on school board governance by providing insight into the practical and relational aspects of governance from the superintendent's perspective.
Publisher
Northern Illinois University
Rights Statement
In Copyright
Rights Statement 2
NIU theses and dissertations are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from Huskie Commons for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without the written permission of the authors, unless otherwise indicated.
Recommended Citation
Nichols, Dana R., "SUPERINTENDENTS’ PERSPECTIVES ON EFFECTIVE SCHOOL BOARD GOVERNANCE: AN ANALYSIS OF KEY CHARACTERISTICS IN SOUTH COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS" (2025). Dissertations of Practice. 69.
https://huskiecommons.lib.niu.edu/allgraduate-disspractice/69
Included in
Educational Leadership Commons, Elementary and Middle and Secondary Education Administration Commons, Urban Education Commons
