This manual provides guidelines on the roles and responsibilities of boards of education and administrators in creating effective schools for American Indian students. Mission statements from both the Bureau of Indian Affairs Office of Indian Education Programs and the Association of Community Tribal Schools reflect a shared goal of ensuring educational opportunities for American Indians that consider the spiritual, mental, physical, and cultural aspects of the individual. Following a list of do's and don'ts for school boards, specific roles and responsibilities of boards of education are described, including modeling the culture and values, propagating the mission and establishing direction, ensuring adequate financing and seeing that money is spent responsibly, guarding legitimacy by regularly reviewing pertinent information and documents, keeping the board and the community in touch with each other, resolving problems and grievances in a win-win way, consistently advocating quality education, and hiring and retaining excellent administrators. The manual also addresses: (1) staffing issues, including expectations of administrators, board and administrator teaming, and qualities of effective administrators and teachers; (2) issues related to educational financing, including an overview of programs and resources and suggestions for fiscal management; (3) information on policy formation; (4) suggestions for conducting effective school board meetings, including an overview of parliamentary procedures; (5) recommendations for developing a constitution and by-laws; and (6) relevant information on school improvement and restructuring, including an overview of Goals 2000, effective school correlates, and definitions of restructuring terms. Includes a reference manual for storing additional materials related to the topics covered in the manual. (LP)