TY - JOUR
T1 - Do boards matter? Studying the relation between school boards and educational quality
AU - Honingh, Marlies
AU - van Genugten, Marieke
AU - van Thiel, Sandra
AU - Blom, Rutger
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2018.
PY - 2020/1
Y1 - 2020/1
N2 - Boards are expected to contribute to an organization's performance. In the case of schools, this means that the board should contribute to educational quality. However, there is no scientific proof that this expectation is valid. The (growing) literature on boards suggests that the effects of school boards depend on variables, such as board behaviour and corporate governance. In this study, we present the results of a secondary analysis drawing on representative existing datasets on Dutch secondary schools. This is unique as previous research usually dealt with non-representative cases or samples. Our merged dataset includes measurements of board characteristics, board behaviour and pupils' achievements. Through Structural Equation Modelling, we show that there is ample evidence that board characteristics and board behaviour affect pupils' achievements. The only variable affecting pupil's achievements is counter vailing power perceived by the executives in the school board. The model also hints at more complex patterns of interacting variables at the board level. To get more insight into how these variables interact, a different research approach is necessary, such as case studies on board behaviour, and on the effects thereof within the school.
AB - Boards are expected to contribute to an organization's performance. In the case of schools, this means that the board should contribute to educational quality. However, there is no scientific proof that this expectation is valid. The (growing) literature on boards suggests that the effects of school boards depend on variables, such as board behaviour and corporate governance. In this study, we present the results of a secondary analysis drawing on representative existing datasets on Dutch secondary schools. This is unique as previous research usually dealt with non-representative cases or samples. Our merged dataset includes measurements of board characteristics, board behaviour and pupils' achievements. Through Structural Equation Modelling, we show that there is ample evidence that board characteristics and board behaviour affect pupils' achievements. The only variable affecting pupil's achievements is counter vailing power perceived by the executives in the school board. The model also hints at more complex patterns of interacting variables at the board level. To get more insight into how these variables interact, a different research approach is necessary, such as case studies on board behaviour, and on the effects thereof within the school.
KW - Corporate governance
KW - educational quality
KW - school board
KW - structural equation modelling
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85052239764&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1177/0952076718789739
DO - 10.1177/0952076718789739
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85052239764
SN - 0952-0767
VL - 35
SP - 65
EP - 83
JO - Public Policy and Administration
JF - Public Policy and Administration
IS - 1
ER -