SELECTION OF SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS IS GOVERNED IN ALL STATES BY LAW. SURVEYS SHOW THAT 33 STATES ELECTED ALL BOARD MEMBERS BY POPULAR VOTE. IN NINE STATES, MOST BOARD MEMBERS WERE ELECTED. HOWEVER, IN LARGE CITIES BOARDS WERE MORE OFTEN APPOINTIVE. EIGHTY-FIVE PERCENT OF THE BOARDS IN THE U.S. WERE ELECTED, 70 PERCENT IN NONPARTISAN ELECTIONS. OVER 90 PERCENT OF THE ELECTED BOARDS WERE LOCATED IN THE NORTHEASTERN, NORTH CENTRAL, AND WESTERN STATES. MOST APPOINTIVE BOARDS WERE CONCENTRATED IN THE LARGE CITIES OF GEORGIA, MARYLAND, NORTH CAROLINA, TENNESSEE, AND VIRGINIA. NATIONALLY, ABOUT 14 PERCENT OF THE BOARDS WERE APPOINTED. OF THESE, 27 PERCENT WERE LOCATED IN CITIES OVER 300,000. ADMINISTRATORS DIFFER AS TO THE BEST METHOD OF BOARD SELECTION, AND RESEARCH HAS NOT SUPPORTED ANOTHER METHOD. THE ELECTIVE METHOD INSURES CONTINUED PUBLIC INTEREST AND INVOLVEMENT, GREATER INTIMACY WITH THE PUBLIC, AND HARMONIOUS RELATIONS BETWEEN BOARDS AND PROFESSIONAL STAFF. THE APPOINTIVE METHOD INSURES GREATER SELECTIVITY OF BOARD MEMBERS, MORE HARMONIOUS RELATIONS BETWEEN BOARDS AND GOVERNING BODIES, AND GREATER STABILITY AND CONTINUITY OF MEMBERSHIP. ELECTIVE MEMBERSHIP TENDS TO BECOME PARTISAN, WHEREAS APPOINTIVE MEMBERSHIP TENDS TO BECOME DICTATORIAL. SUCH LIMITATIONS CAN BE OVERCOME BEST BY A CAUCUS COMPOSED OF ALL CONCERNED PERSONS. THIS DOCUMENT APPEARS IN "THE NATIONAL SCHOOL BOARDS ASSOCIATION INFORMATION SERVICE BULLETIN," VOLUME 5, NUMBER 5, JULY 1967, AND IS AVAILABLE FOR $0.10 FROM NSBA, 1233 CENTRAL STREET, EVANSTON, ILLINOIS 60201. (JN)