Becoming a Board Member: Perceptions of K-12 School Board Member Training and Socialization

• In Event: Reimagining Equity in Educational Leadership Through District Partnerships, Micro Disruptions, and School Board Leadership

Abstract

Although K-12 school board members are tasked with developing district-level policies, many often have little to no formal training in educational leadership and primarily depend on limited training opportunities provided post-election or appointment. Drawing from a larger study on the lived experiences of California school board members, this paper explores the affordances and limitations of school board training and socialization through a critical analysis of the perceptions of currently serving board members. This paper utilizes insights from theories of leadership development and organizational socialization theory to better understand how school board members make sense of the current training landscape and whether/how this landscape benefits the interests of both board members and the communities that they serve.

Authors

• James C. Bridgeforth, University of Delaware

• Julie A. Marsh, University of Southern California

• Akunna Faith Uka, University of Southern California

• Laura Steen Mulfinger, University of Southern California

• Miguel Casar, University of Alabama

• Jacob Alonso, University of Southern California