0.18 Tuyle, v., & Watkins, s. (october 2011). preparing leaders to  (Page 3/6)

Mountford and Brunner (2001) claim the development of a collaborative working relationship among board members, resulting from understanding motivations, can encourage more candidates to run for board positions. Boards that get along well and are productive in their working relationship create a better model which encourages others to aspire to board membership.

This knowledge gives valuable insight in terms of the importance of understanding board members as individuals and in terms of how board members function as a group. According to Mountford and Brunner (1999), it is important to examine the motivational forces to help understand the group dynamics on a board. “If decisions are based on hidden or personal agendas and superintendents and other board members are micromanaged by single-issue board members, how can school governance overcome these obstacles to meet high levels of accountability at state and federal levels?” (p. 18).

Method

Purpose of the study

The primary purpose of the study was to determine perceptions school board members have regarding their motivations and challenges when running for the board of education and their perceived challenges once seated on the board.

Instrumentation

A self-administered survey with 63 questions was developed which included forced choices concerning motivation for running for the board, challenges for running for the board, and challenges once seated on the board. The survey instrument also elicited demographic information.

The survey was piloted with an N of 9 current and former board members. The feedback from the pilot allowed the researchers to refine survey questions, clarify terms, and condense the survey to the most pertinent questions.

Sample

The target population consisted of 6,000 current Illinois school board members. The population was a random 10% sample drawn from the membership of the Illinois Association of School Boards (IASB) which represents 99% of current school board members in the state of Illinois. One hundred thirty six persons responded, yielding a 23% response rate.

Data collection and data analysis

Illinois Association of School Boards (IASB) was the partnering agent who distributed the survey to the sample population. Paper surveys were mailed from IASB in June 2010. Returned surveys were collected and returned by mid-July 2010 to the researchers for analysis. Data were analyzed by frequencies and percentages.

Results

The primary purpose of the study was to determine the perceptions school board members have regarding their motivations and challenges when running for the board of education, as well as the challenges encountered, once seated on the board.

Demographic information

Demographic data from the respondents were gathered regarding gender, age, years of service, highest level of education, type of community, and district type, as well as school district enrollment.

Gender of school board members.

Results of the 2010 survey revealed male school board members constituted 55% of the membership of boards and female board members constituted 45%. Gender makeup of boards revealed the most common gender makeup among respondents was two female board members and five male board members.