An analysis of school board adherence to the Indiana School Board's Code of Ethics based upon perceptions of school administrators

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Authors
Mahon, Robert
Advisor
McKinney, Joseph R.
Issue Date
2001
Keyword
Degree
Thesis (D. Ed.)
Department
Department of Educational Leadership
Other Identifiers
Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine the overall effectiveness of and the level of engagement in performance assessment processes by Indiana school boards in relation to the Indiana School Board's Associations (ISBA) Code of Ethics as perceived by school administrators. Additionally, there were four objectives: (a) to determine what extent Indiana school boards engage in a process of formal evaluation of their own performance and effectiveness; (b) to determine if there is a difference in perceived compliance to the ISBA Code of Ethics for school boards who engage in school board performance evaluation compared to those school boards who do not; (c) to determine if there is a relationship between the educational background of school board members and school boards performing their duties according to the ISBA Code of Ethics; and (d) to determine the overall perceptions of Indiana school superintendents and randomly selected elementary and secondary principals as to whether school board performance is currently in accordance with the ISBA Code of Ethics. Research questions and hypotheses were developed to determine school superintendents' and randomly selected elementary and secondary school principals' perceptions and possible differences and/or relationships.A descriptive survey research procedure was used in this study, which sought information regarding the professional activities of each participant's school board in comparison to the ISBA Code of Ethics. The questionnaire was constructed in order to answer four research questions and three null hypotheses.The findings indicated: (1) 32.5% of Indiana school boards evaluate their own performance and effectiveness; (2) 67.5% of Indiana school boards do not evaluate their own performance and effectiveness; (3) school boards that engage in performance evaluation processes tend to adhere more strongly to the ISBA Code of Ethics in comparison with those school boards that do not engage in performance evaluation; (4) there was no relationship between the educational background of school board members and school board performance in accordance with the ISBA Code of Ethics; and (5) there did appear to be a significant difference between how superintendents and principals perceive school board performance when compared to the ISBA Code of Ethics.