Since the early 1980s, educational policy has increasingly been focused on improving student performance (Conley, 2003, Murphy, 1990). School governance in general, and school boards in particular, have often been viewed as either the means of implementing needed reforms or as roadblocks in their way (Boyd, 2003; Delagardelle, M.; 2008; Howell, 2005). Effective governance, it is believed, is necessary for school improvement, yet examples of good governance rarely garner as much attention as do issues such as board member misconduct, nepotism, and overall board corruption (Segal, 2004). Many states have tried to institute ethics policies for school boards that would more clearly delineate expected board member behavior (Riede, 2004). By examining the influence of these ethics policies on school board behavior in one state, Pennsylvania, as perceived by school district superintendents in that state, this study seeks to determine if such an ethics policy had the intended effect of improving board effectiveness. In addition, this study examines school board performance in specific areas associated with effective governance. This aspect of the analysis helps to pinpoint multiple areas of performance that boards should seek to strengthen and offers various suggestions to remedy areas of relative weakness. Overall, this study helps to clarify the link between board ethics and the larger context of board effectiveness.