Opinion
School & District Management Letter to the Editor

Article on Survey Results Skewed Good Opinion of School Boards

December 11, 2013 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

To the Editor:

The article “Superintendents Wary of Boards, Poll Finds” (Oct. 2, 2013) is suspicious.

To defend this title, two graphs display responses to two statements from superintendents surveyed as part of the Gallup/Education Week Superintendent Panel. To the statement “I am confident that school districts in the U.S. are well-governed at the board level,” the article chose to focus on the fact that only 2 percent of superintendents strongly agreed, followed by a quote from a Gallup executive: “These are our most visible, vocal school leaders coming out to say we could definitely do better with our boards.”

The article gives short shrift to the other statement related to school boards: “I am confident that my school district is well-governed at the board level.” Thirty-seven percent of superintendents strongly agreed, and another 36 percent agreed. In other words, 73 percent of superintendents agreed or strongly agreed that their own districts are well-governed. Fourteen percent were neutral, and only 11 percent disagreed or strongly disagreed.

Any reasonable analysis would suggest that superintendents are more likely to be well-informed about the governance of their own districts and less likely to be well-informed about the governance of other districts. Focusing on the 2 percent who strongly agreed that other districts in the United States are well-governed seems an incomplete summary or analysis at best. It could also suggest a bias against boards.

The survey clearly shows that a majority of superintendents believe their districts are well-governed. And so to all the elected people who serve, for providing that good governance to all those districts, perhaps we should simply say, “Thank you.”

Christopher Maricle

Policy and Program Officer

California School Boards Association

West Sacramento, Calif.

Related Tags:

A version of this article appeared in the December 11, 2013 edition of Education Week as Article on Survey Results Skewed Good Opinion of School Boards

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Reading & Literacy Webinar
The Future of the Science of Reading
Join us for a discussion on the future of the Science of Reading and how to support every student’s path to literacy.
Content provided by HMH
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
College & Workforce Readiness Webinar
From Classrooms to Careers: How Schools and Districts Can Prepare Students for a Changing Workforce
Real careers start in school. Learn how Alton High built student-centered, job-aligned pathways.
Content provided by TNTP
Mathematics K-12 Essentials Forum Helping Students Succeed in Math

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

School & District Management Q&A ‘A Nice and Gentle Disrupter’: Meet the New Principals of the Year
The award went to middle school principal Damon Lewis and high school principal Tony Cattani.
11 min read
Damon Lewis, the principal of Ponus Ridge STEAM Academy, and Tony Cattani, the principal of Lenape High School, receive their awards at the annual National Association of Secondary School Principals Illuminate Principal of the Year Celebration in Seattle.
From left, Damon Lewis, the principal of Ponus Ridge STEAM Academy, and Tony Cattani, the principal of Lenape High School, receive their awards at the National Association of Secondary School Principals conference in Seattle. They were both named the 2025-26 National Principal of the Year.
Courtesy of Allyssa Hynes/National Association of Secondary School Principals
School & District Management Opinion The Stunning Resignation of UVA President Jim Ryan—and Why It Matters
The university president’s departure is more than just a headline. It’s a lesson in leadership.
2 min read
Opinion Licensed Not for Reuse Wait What FCG
Canva
School & District Management In Their Own Words This Custodian Got Students to Stop Vandalizing and Take Pride in Their School
Andy Markus, the 2025 Education Support Professional of the Year, helped boost behavior and engagement in his Utah district.
5 min read
Andy Markus, the head custodian at Draper Park Middle School, in Draper, Utah, sits for a portrait during the National Education Association's 2025 Representative Assembly in Portland, Ore., on July 3, 2025. Markus was named the 2025 NEA Education Support Professional (ESP) of the Year.
Andy Markus, the head custodian at Draper Park Middle School, in Draper, Utah, sits for a portrait during the National Education Association's 2025 representative assembly in Portland, Ore., on July 3, 2025. Markus was named the 2025 NEA Education Support Professional of the Year for his mentorship of students.
Kaylee Domzalski/Education Week
School & District Management What the Research Says About School Boards: How Much Conflict Really Is There?
Plus, how competitive are board elections? How much do teachers' union endorsements matter?
7 min read
Houston ISD's appointed school board votes on the "District of Innovation" status during their monthly work session meeting at HISD Central Office on Sept. 7, 2023 in Houston.
Houston's appointed school board takes a vote during a meeting on Sept. 7, 2023 in the district's central office. A number of studies from recent years have answered questions about school boards' makeup, how competitive board elections are, whether conflict is on the rise, and more.
Karen Warren/Houston Chronicle via AP