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Minnesota School Board Member Survey Results

Minnesota School Boards Association and

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Introductions• Katie Klanderud, Director of Board Development, MSBA• Roberta Thatcher, Manager Customer Strategy and

Experience, SUPERVALU• Candace Raskin, Professor/Director of Center for

Engaged Leadership, Director of Edina Site Management and Development, MNSU, Mankato at Edina

• Barbara Wilson, Assistant Professor, MNSU, Mankato at Edina

• Anne Weyandt, J.D., Founder/Partner, SheridanStowe LLC President emeritus, Anoka Technical College

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Agenda• Objective of the Study• Overview of Methodology• Reasons for Running for School Board• Training• Challenges and Opportunities– Student Achievement– Racial Diversity

• Minnesota’s Changing Demographics• Performance Perceptions• Recap and Q&A

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Objective of the Study

Faculty from Minnesota State University, Mankato, working in cooperation with Minnesota School Boards Association leadership, conducted a research study focused on identifying the characteristics and the work of public school board members in Minnesota.

Overall Objective: –Gain insight into how school board

members view their role, responsibilities and work as a school board member and compare views to defined roles and responsibilities.

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Methodology

Conduct Focus Groups with Current MN School Board MembersAugust 2012

Field quantitative survey (n=390) to current MN School Board MembersOctober 2012

Data Analysis and Report out FindingsDecember 2012/January 2013

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RUNNING FOR THE SCHOOL BOARD

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Are you currently an elected or appointed school board member?

A. YesB. No

YesNo

0%0%

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Why did you run for school board?

A. Friends and family thought I would be good at it

B. Controversial issueC. Stand up for school staffD. Stand up for studentsE. For compensationF. To provide a public serviceG. To fix a specific issue in

the districtH. Political aspirationsI. Other Fri

ends and fa

mily th

ough...

Controve

rsial is

sue

Stand up for s

chool s

taff

Stand up for s

tudents

For c

ompensation

To provide a public

service

To fix a specifi

c issu

e in t.

.

Politica

l asp

irations

Other

0% 0% 0% 0% 0%0%0%0%0%

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Board members are running for school board to provide a public service and stand up for students

For compensation

Political aspirations

High profile/controversial issue occurred

To fix a specific issue in the district

Other

To stand up for school staff

Family/friends thought I’d be good at it

To stand up for students

To provide a public service

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90%

0%

3%

8%

13%

16%

26%

42%

65%

85%

Why Did You Run For School Board Almost ½ report being influenced by friends and family to join the board

2/3 report joining the board to stand

up for students

1/4 report joining to stand up for staff

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Deeper in the Research• Board members who joined the board to stand up for students or staff were more strongly represented in districts scoring below average and average on statewide assessments.

• At a rate of 2.5 to 1 - Board members identified “stand up for students” to “stand up for staff”

Achievement Level Below Av Average Above Av

Stand up for Staff 25% 29% 21%

Stand up for Students 60% 76% 61%

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Running for School Board ESL Districts with Higher ESL Populations• There was a significant difference in reasons mentioned for running

for the board in districts with higher ESL populations.

Less than 25%ESL

Higher than 25%ESL

Family thought I’d be good at it

43% 32%

To provide a public service

88% 53%

Fix a problem 15% 6%

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TRAINING

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State level school board training should be mandatory for all new school board members

A. AgreeB. Somewhat AgreeC. NeutralD. Somewhat DisagreeE. Disagree

Agree

Somewhat Agre

e

Neutral

Somewhat Disa

gree

Disagre

e

0% 0% 0%0%0%

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Yearly state level school board training should be mandatory for all school board members.

A. AgreeB. Somewhat AgreeC. NeutralD. Somewhat DisagreeE. Disagree

Agree

Somewhat Agre

e

Neutral

Somewhat Disa

gree

Disagre

e

0% 0% 0%0%0%

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The state level training I received helped me become a better school board member.

A. AgreeB. Somewhat AgreeC. NeutralD. Somewhat DisagreeE. Disagree

Agree

Somewhat Agre

e

Neutral

Somewhat Disa

gree

Disagre

e

0% 0% 0%0%0%

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85% feel new board members need training, and 50% feel yearly training for all board members should be

mandatory

• Only 8% of members feel training is not needed

• However, members are divided on whether training should be mandatory for all members

Participation in training should be encouraged

but not mandated

Yearly MSBA training should be mandatory

MSBA training should be mandatory for all new school board members

40%

30%

10%

51%

50%

85%

Agree Disagree

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While only ½ feel annual training should be mandatory, 9 out of 10 board members feel MSBA training was effective

The training I received from MSBA helped me understand the duties and

roles of a school board member

The training I received from MSBA helped me become a better board

member

5% 5%

89% 88%

DisagreeAgree

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Years on Board Significantly Correlated with…

Years on Board Less than 2

2-7Years

More than 7

Attended a MSBA sponsored training

76% 59% 52%

Attended MSBA conference 67% 83% 77%

In the last year, have you…

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Opportunity exists to have school board members work with a mentor

Attending a National School Boards Associa-tion (NSBA) conference

Having an assigned mentor for school board members

Attending training developed and hosted by your school district

Attending a Minnesota School Boards As-sociation (MSBA) sponsored training

9%

5%

50%

60%

15%

21%

58%

65%

Importance of Training Participation

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Years on Board Significantly Correlated with…

Years on Board Less than 2

2-7Years

More than 7

Met with a district mentor 10% 7% 2%Met with an outside mentor 23% 11% 4%

In the last year, have you…

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CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES

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Which of the following is the most challenging aspect of being a school board member?

Rank Responses

1 Setting a budget

2 Defining school board roles and responsibilities

3 Driving student achievement

4 Dealing with laws/mandates

5 Developing a long range vision for your district

6 Other

1 2 3 4 5 6

17% 17% 17%17%17%17%

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Which of the following do you the most time discussing at school board meetings?

Rank Responses

1 Setting a budget

2 Defining school board roles and responsibilities

3 Driving student achievement

4 Dealing with laws/mandates

5 Developing a long range vision for your district

6 Other

1 2 3 4 5 6

17% 17% 17%17%17%17%

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How often are school board members presented with student achievement data in your district?

A. Every monthB. Every 2-3 monthsC. Every 6 monthsD. Every 12 monthsE. NeverF. Not sure

Every

month

Every

2-3 month

s

Every

6 month

s

Every

12 month

sNeve

r

Not sure

17% 17% 17%17%17%17%

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At the last school board meeting you were in attendance at, what percentage of time was

student achievement discussed?

A. <25%B. 25 to <50 %C. 50% to <75%D. 75% to 100%E. Not discussed

<25%

25 to <50 %

50% to <75%

75% to 100%

Not disc

ussed

20% 20% 20%20%20%

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Driving student achievement and dealing with law/mandates are the top 2 challenges board members face

• While driving student achievement is the most challenging, less than ¼ of board members report being presented with student achievement data monthly

Dealing w/ Laws and Mandates

Managing controversial issues

Setting school district budget

Developing long term vision

Driving Student Achievement

Chal

leng

ing

0.0%20.0%40.0%60.0%

23%49%

28%1%

Frequency Members are Presented with Student Achieve-

ment Data

Almost 1/3 are presented with data only every 6 to 12 months

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Of those districts that reported discussing student achievement data

in the last 6 months…• Most of these districts were higher socio-economic

districts.

Less than 25%Free/Reduced Lunch

More than 25% Free/Reduced Lunch

96% Identified student

achievement as a topic of discussion

78%Identified student

achievement as a topic of discussion

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Of those districts that reported discussing student achievement data

in the last 6 months…

Less than 25% Free/Reduced

Lunch

More than 25% Free/Reduced Lunch

68%Discussed programming for

higher achieving learners

48% Discussed programming for

higher achieving learner

What is discussed…

Board Topics Differed by Type of Communities Served

• Board members’ survey responses varied on the basis of community served:

– Urban

– Suburban

– Rural

Board Topic Differed by Types of Communities Served

– Urban boards tend to devote a higher percentage of time to discussions that pertain to student achievement

– Suburban boards are more likely to identify the presence of programs to support high achieving students than their urban and rural counterparts

– Rural boards were more likely to discuss issues pertaining to students in poverty

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Strategic Planning made a difference in Board Topics

Topic discussed in the last 6 months

Strategic Plan(291)

No Strategic Plan(66)

Racial Diversity 40% 26%Programs to support Struggling Learners 90% 72%

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Strategic Planning made a difference in Time on Topic

Amount of time spent discussing achievement

Strategic Plan(291)

No Strategic Plan(66)

No time 3% 6%Less than 5% 44% 60%25-50% 35% 29%50-75% 15% 5%75-100% 3% 0%

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Members feel setting a school district budget is the most important role of the school board

Answer Options Importance Rank Time Spent Rank

Setting a school district budget 1 1Driving student achievement 2 2

Communicating with the community 3 4Maintaining a good school board

/superintendent relationship 4 5

Adopting school district policy 5 3Evaluating the superintendent 6 8

Defining roles and responsibilities of the school board 7 6

Rewarding good teachers 8 7Addressing student discipline 9 9

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Members feel setting a school district budget is the most important role of the school board

• While driving student achievement is the most challenging aspect, it is not given as much time as setting a budget.• After setting budget and driving student

achievement, boards spend the most time on adopting policy.• Communicating with the community and maintaining

relationship with superintendent are rated more important and receive less time.

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Driving student achievement

• Rated more challenging in lower performing districts

Challenge Rating

Rated as Below AYP

Rated asAv AYP

Rated as Above AYP

Rated 8-10 75% 62% 56%Rated 0-2 5% 1% 4%

*AYP is the achievement rating given to school districts based on the statewide assessment given in public schools in MN.

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MINNESOTA’S CHANGING DEMOGRAPHICS

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What is your level of education?

A. High schoolB. Some college – no degreeC. 2-year college graduateD. 4-year college graduateE. Graduate school degree

High school

Some colle

ge – no degree

2-year colle

ge graduate

4-year colle

ge graduate

Graduate sc

hool degree

20% 20% 20%20%20%

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Your employment status.

A. Employed full-timeB. Employed part-timeC. Full-time

homemaker/care giverD. RetiredE. Student F. Unemployed

Employed full-ti

me

Employed part-time

Full-ti

me homemaker/car..

.

Retired

Student

Unemployed

17% 17% 17%17%17%17%

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What is your ethnicity?

A. African American or Black

B. Asian or Pacific IslanderC. CaucasianD. Hispanic/LatinoE. American Indian or

Alaska NativeF. Other

Africa

n American or B

lack

Asian or P

acific I

slander

Caucasia

n

Hispanic/

Latino

American In

dian or Alask

... Other

17% 17% 17%17%17%17%

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In what range is your annual household income before taxes?

A. <$25,000B. $25,000 to <$35,000C. $35,000 to <$50,000D. $50,000 to <$75,000E. $75,000 to <$100,000F. $100,000 to <$150,000G. $150,000 or more

<$25,000

$25,000 to <$35,000

$35,000 to <$50,000

$50,000 to <$75,000

$75,000 to <$100,000

$100,000 to <$150,000

$150,000 or more

14% 14% 14% 14%14%14%14%

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MN school districts are made up of increasingly more diverse student populations

(racially, culturally, and demographically)

On Free and Reduced Lunch Identified as an English Language Learner

Hispanic/Latino African American/Black

19%

77%

88%95%58%

11%

12%5%

23%

12%

1% 1%

50% or More25 to <50%<25%

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Statewide Demographics

Percent Change in Enrollment,FY 2003 – FY 2011, School Districts and Charter Schools

Source: MDE43

Changing Populations as a Percent of Public School Enrollment, 1997-98 to 2011-12

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School Boards Members demographics do not reflect school demographics

Unemployed

Homemaker

Employed part-time

Retired

Employed full-time

2%

7%

12%

14%

65%

Employment Status

<50k 50 to <75k 75k to <100k 100k to <150k

150k +

8%

20%

30%

25%

16%

HH Income

Caucasian Non-Caucasian

98%

2%

Ethnicity

High school graduate

Some College/2 year degree

4-year college graduate

Graduate school degree

3%

23%

43%

30%

Education

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Members should be aware of racial diversity issues and consider discussing more frequently at meetings

Student achievement

Programs to support struggling learners

Performance goals

Economic/ free and reduced

Programs to support high achieving students

Racial diversity

94%

87%

84%

77%

59%

37%

Topics discussed at board meeting within the past 6 months…

2009 USDOE NCES report and 2012 MMEP State of Students of Color report confirm MN has one of the highest achievement gaps in nation between

black and white students

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PERFORMANCE PERCEPTIONS

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I personally feel my school board operates effectively.

A. Strongly AgreeB. AgreeC. Somewhat AgreeD. NeutralE. Somewhat DisagreeF. DisagreeG. Strongly Disagree

Strongly

Agree

Agree

Somewhat Agre

e

Neutral

Somewhat Disa

gree

Disagre

e

Strongly

Disagree

14% 14% 14% 14%14%14%14%

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As a school district in 2011/2012 which if the following best describes the overall academic performance of

your students.

A. Below the state average

B. At the state averageC. Above the state

averageD. Not sure

Below the st

ate average

At the st

ate avera

ge

Above th

e state ave

rage

Not sure

25% 25%25%25%

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School board members overestimate the performance of their district

• Only 16% of board members feel their district is performing below average

16%

30%53%

1%

Overall Academic Performance

Below the state average

At the state av-erage

Above the state average

Not sure

• Over ½ feel their school board is very effective

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Two factors strongly associated with Board Reported Efficacy

Yes NoStrategic Plan 7.49

Effectiveness Rating6.15

Effectiveness Rating

Balanced Budget

7.41 Effectiveness Rating

6.4 Effectiveness

Rating

Digging in Deeper to the Research…Strategic Planning Matters

1. Strategic planning influences a board’s capacity to engage on critical issues

Student achievement Racial diversity of the student population School district performance

2. Is connected in some way to balance budgets3. Leads to higher levels of board efficacy

Findings and Further Research: Strategic Planning

• The relationship between strategic planning and a board’s capacity for engagement on key topics related to students and achievement is consistent with the literature (Conner, 2009; Iowa

School Boards Association, 2001; Jarman, 2009). • We further hypothesize that strategic planning contributes to

board effectiveness by creating a sense of common purpose, but further research is needed to test the validity of this statement.

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Further Research Needed

• About strategic planning– The need to study districts that plan– Define quality strategic planning– Identify how successful districts use this tool to

plan, learn and focus on critical topics.

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Recommended Actions…

1. Review your district’s policies and state law of practices for school board member training.

2. Increase the frequency of informed conversations around student achievement.

3. Use data and professional development to build board capacity to engage on student achievement topics.

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Recommended Actions…

4. Evaluate practices and policies for impact on diverse student populations.

5. Ensure that board members understand the makeup of all students and families within the district and their current achievement levels.

6. Engage in a quality process of strategic planning and use the plan to guide board discussions and decisions.

7. Ensure your district has a strategic plan that is used to guide the district’s vision and mission.

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QUESTIONS???

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Minnesota School Board Member Survey Results

Minnesota School Boards Association and