This book combines theoretical debate and empirical evidence of the effectiveness and relevancy of local school boards today. Original theorists of competing school board governance theories, current researchers, and researcher/practitioners provided the latest empirical data about the role of school boards as well as applications for practitioners in the field. Contributors include scholars in the fields of political science, educational administration, and sociology. The authors also come from the practitioner field including numerous former school administrators, school board members and state associate directors representing over 200 years of collective experience in K-12 education. Contents include: (1) History of School Board Governance Theory and Research (Dissatisfaction Theory of the American Democracy (Frank W. Lutz and Laurence Iannaccone)); (2) History of the Changing Roles of School Boards (School Board Research: A Retrospective (Peter J. Cistone) and The Evolving Role of School Boards: Retrospect and Prospect (Michael W. Kirst)); (3) School Board/Superintendent and Authority Relations (Leading in an Era of Change:The Micropolitics of Superintendent-Board Relations (Lars G. Bjork)); (4) School Board Democratic Effectiveness (Historical and Current Tensions Among Board/Superintendent Teams: Symptoms or Cause? (Meredith Mountford)); (5) School Board's Role in District/Systemic Reform (Systemic Leadership Amidst Turbulence: Superintendent-School Board Relations Under Pressure (George J. Petersen and Lance D. Fusarelli)); (6) Relevance: School Board Influence on Student Achievement (Money, Interest Groups, and School Board Elections (Frederick Hess)); and (7) Revelation: School Board's Viability and Possible Future (Local School Foundations: Equity and the Future of School Funding (Carol Merz Frankel); A Descriptive Case Study of Discord & Dissent: The Story of A School Board's Act of Non-Compliance To State And Federal Law (Barbara DeHart and DeLacy D. Ganley); The Lighthouse Inquiry: Examining the Role of School Board Leadership in the Improvement of Student Achievement (Mary L. Delagardelle); School Reform, Civic Engagement, and School Board Leadership (Theodore J. Kowalski); School Board Politics and Student Achievement (Thomas L. Alsbury); School Boards and Raising Student Outcomes: Reflections (Confessions?) of a Former Urban School Board Member (Sam Stringfield); Elected Versus Appointed Boards (Thomas E. Glass) and Education Mayors & Big City School Boards: New Directions, New Evidence (Kenneth K. Wong and Francis X. Shen.))