Linking the distribution of board-executive governance responsibilities to charter school performance
International Journal of Organizational Analysis
ISSN: 1934-8835
Article publication date: 12 March 2018
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to use the original data collected from school board members representing nonprofit charter schools in the state of Minnesota to examine the relationship between the distribution of board-executive governance responsibilities and the performance of organizations operating as part of a New Public Management style macro-governance reform.
Design/methodology/approach
A combination of survey data collected from Minnesota charter school board members and hard performance data were utilized in two OLS regression models to predict the link between organizational governance and school performance.
Findings
The authors find that boards can improve hard measures of organizational performance by shifting responsibility of day-to-day operations closer to the executive, and public advocacy duties closer to the board. The results build on the existing literatures on school board governance and board-executive relations. Overall, the findings suggest the existence of an ideal balance between board-executive governance responsibilities in key functional areas on charter school boards.
Originality/value
Though a healthy literature exists regarding the value of charter schools, very few studies have actually explored the way in which these organizations are governed. This study is the first to link charter board governance responsibilities to performance.
Keywords
Citation
Ford, M.R. and Ihrke, D.M. (2018), "Linking the distribution of board-executive governance responsibilities to charter school performance", International Journal of Organizational Analysis, Vol. 26 No. 1, pp. 2-18. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJOA-09-2016-1067
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2018, Emerald Publishing Limited