A Cross-National Analysis of School Boards’ Roles and Consequences for School Resources and Student Achievement

Abstract

The role and impact of school boards vary considerably across contexts. Whereas school boards in some communities provide schools with extra resources, others mandate instructional approaches. Despite the potential importance of school boards for school resources and student achievement, related single-country research is limited, and cross-national evidence is even more scarce. Using data from the 2012 PISA and 2013 TALIS, we examine cross-national differences in school board presence, composition, and responsibilities, and their relationship with school resources and student achievement. We find that schools in countries with a higher proportion of school boards have less shortage of school-based human resources and higher levels of academic achievement. We also find that students in countries where a higher proportion of local community members participate in school boards have lower levels of achievement; in contrast, school board participation by parents is positively related to student achievement.