Supporting or Controlling? A Cross-National Analysis of School Boards' Roles and Consequences for School Resources and Student Achievement

• In Event: Effective Learning Environments for Quality Teaching and Learning

Abstract

The role and impact of school boards vary considerably across contexts. Whereas school boards in some communities and nations provide extra resources to schools, others mandate instructional approaches. Despite the potential importance of school boards for school resources and student achievement, single-country research on school boards is limited, and cross-national evidence is even more scarce.
In this paper we examine cross-national differences in school board presence, composition, and responsibilities, and their impact on school resource shortages and student achievement. Using multivariate analysis of data from the 2012 PISA and the 2013 TALIS, we find that schools in countries with a higher proportion of school boards tend to have less shortage of school-based human resources and higher levels of academic achievement.

Authors

• Dong Wook Jeong, Seoul National University

• Chanju Moon, Korea Research Institute for Vocational Education & Training

• Heewon Moon, Seoul National University

• Thomas F. Luschei, Claremont Graduate University