This report first explores the conventional wisdom about what makes an effective school board meeting and then views what has been discovered about how boards actually conduct their business. Where it is clear that conventional wisdom and actual practice do not agree, questions are raised. It is recommended that a school board consciously consider its meeting behavior, thinking about the kind of board it is and the kind it wants to be; think of its goals and priorities and then try to tailor its meeting procedures to meet those goals; review the conventional wisdom, research, and recommendations made by researchers and then judge which practices it should adopt or adapt; and write its meeting procedures in bylaws and policy and follow them until such time as those procedures no longer work. (Author/IRT)