The purpose of this study was to research both imperially validated and conceptualized school board best practices, as well as their utilization within Missouri school districts from differing geographic regions, with differing total school populations and differing level of school success. School success for this study was defined as district level of improvement. This quantitative study surveyed 99 Missouri school board members using the "Missouri School Board Practices Survey" ("MSBPS"). The "MSBPS" contains 24 items separated into four subscales: (a) creating a vision, (b) setting goals and remaining committed, (c) using data, and (d) monitoring progress and taking corrective action. The "MSBPS" was developed by adapting items from the "Board Self-Assessment Questionnaire" (Smoley, 1999) and by developing new items consistent with school board best-practices identified through a review of relevant research. The findings of the study revealed a significant difference in only one of the "MSBPS" subscales, "Monitoring Progress and Taking Corrective Action." These findings indicate small school districts (less than 500) report different utilization of monitoring progress and taking corrective action than do larger schools (1600 or more students). Additionally the study found a significant difference between school districts that were not in improvement compared to schools that were in the highest level of school improvement on the "Monitoring Progress and Taking Corrective Action" subscale. Implications for practice indicate school boards must continue to be actively involved in the governance of local policies and practices regardless of the size of the school district. In addition to monitoring progress and taking corrective action when school goals are not met, school board must work collaboratively to create a vision, remain committed to the goals which they set, and continue to use data to make educational decisions. Recommendations for further research include the need to explore additional school board practices and replicate the study using a larger sample of school districts. Additionally, this study discovered a positive correlation between the total population of a school district and the school districts level of improvement within Missouri school districts. This relationship was not explored during this study and should be investigated. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]