Rural Missouri School Board Members’ Perceptions of Their Ability to Evaluate a Rural Superintendent

Brigham, Steven A., II

Rural Missouri School Board Members’ Perceptions of Their Ability to Evaluate a Rural Superintendent

Public Deposited

This study surveyed school board members at rural districts in Missouri about their perceptions of their ability to evaluate a rural superintendent. A total of 41 school districts and 287 individual board members were included in the study, The purpose of this study was to determine the perceptions of rural board members related to training in superintendent evaluation and to ascertain what if any additional professional development board of education members perceive is needed to be effective in evaluating the performance of the superintendent of schools. This study utilized a researcher-developed survey tool that contained three parts: six demographic questions, 16 5-point Likert-scale questions related to board members’ understanding of their perception of their ability to evaluate the rural superintendent, and two rank-order questions related to board member training and school vision. Results revealed there was a significant difference between board members with longer tenures compared to those with less than six years of experience related to their perception of their ability to effectively evaluate the superintendent. Based on the data compiled this study found the 16 hours required of Missouri Board members is not adequate to foster effective Superintendent evaluation therefore it is important the state add additional hours of training within the first six years of service to ensure excellence in evaluation. This training should include school culture, vision, and climate, school management, and professional development.

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