Reljac, Mary Catherine
(2016)
The Motivations, Relationships, and Decision-Making of Western Pennsylvania Public School Board Members.
Doctoral Dissertation, University of Pittsburgh.
(Unpublished)
Abstract
The local control of public schools in the United States provides opportunities for everyday citizens to participate in governance and shape educational programs (Tyack, 2003). This study surveyed the people who volunteered to serve on Western Pennsylvania school boards, specifically examining their motivations for service including the recruitment process, experiences or interactions that motivated board service, interests, and socialization methods once on the board. The study also uncovered information regarding the decision-making processes employed by school board members and their relationships and patterns of communication with others in the school community. Additionally, the study collected information on the challenges of school board leadership and what would help board members in their service. The study found that the majority of respondents were self-motivated to seek election and were interested in giving back to the community, being most often interested in curricular issues or financial issues. Respondents chiefly used resources provided by the district to gather information for decision-making and learned about their roles primarily from other school board members or through state organizations. Respondents regularly communicated with other school board members and the superintendent, primarily in face-to-face conversations
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Details
| Item Type: |
University of Pittsburgh ETD
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| Status: |
Unpublished |
| Creators/Authors: |
| Creators | Email | Pitt Username | ORCID  |
|---|
| Reljac, Mary Catherine | MAR201@pitt.edu | MAR201 | |
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| ETD Committee: |
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| Date: |
15 August 2016 |
| Date Type: |
Publication |
| Defense Date: |
2 June 2016 |
| Approval Date: |
15 August 2016 |
| Submission Date: |
4 August 2016 |
| Access Restriction: |
No restriction; Release the ETD for access worldwide immediately. |
| Number of Pages: |
188 |
| Institution: |
University of Pittsburgh |
| Schools and Programs: |
School of Education > Administrative and Policy Studies |
| Degree: |
EdD - Doctor of Education |
| Thesis Type: |
Doctoral Dissertation |
| Refereed: |
Yes |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: |
school board, motivations, relationships, decision-making, Western Pennsylvania, education |
| Date Deposited: |
15 Aug 2016 17:29 |
| Last Modified: |
16 Aug 2016 05:15 |
| URI: |
http://d-scholarship.pitt.edu/id/eprint/29146 |
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