Iowa School Boards Foundation: Projects & Services: Lighthouse Research

In the arena of educational research, the effect of school boards on student achievement is largely uncharted territory. Since 1998, ISBF and its parent organization, the Iowa Association of School Boards, have been leading in this area with the Lighthouse project and research, which has grown from an initial study released in 2000 to two expanded projects. Each phase of the project is briefly described below:

Original Lighthouse Study (1998–2000): The study showed that school boards in districts with a history of higher student achievement were significantly different in knowledge, beliefs and actions from the boards in the lower achieving districts. This study became one of the first and only studies that made a credible research-based connection between the work of the school board and levels of student achievement.

The Iowa Lighthouse Project (2002–2007): Results in five pilot districts reveal significant learning about key behaviors of the board/superintendent team that influence district culture and are correlated with higher achievement. When boards in these sites have focused on creating a sense of urgency, developing a districtwide focus for improvement, creating conditions within the system for success, monitoring progress, deliberative policy development, and developing a leadership continuum, student learning results have shown positive trends of improvement. The research has identified:

five key roles of the school board for improving student learning,

seven important areas of performance for fulfilling those roles, and

the knowledge and skills board members need to improve those performance areas.

Lighthouse Multi-State Project: Board Leadership for Student Achievement (2006-present): A five-year national study will replicate the Lighthouse approach developed in Iowa to test its effectiveness in five states and compare its effectiveness with best practices of state school board associations for developing board leadership for improving student learning in three additional states.

For more information on the Lighthouse Project, contact Hilary LaMonte, Knowledge Management Consultant, or Mary Delagardelle, Executive Director.

Featured Objects

The Lighthouse Inquiry: Examining the Roles of School Board Leadership in the Improvement of Student Achievement

3 Dec 2007

The public cry for improved achievement and accountability in public schools and the traditional lack of board involvement in issues related to student achievement create an urgent need to clearly understand the leadership role of the board as it relates to improving student. [Abstract]