This dissertation is a qualitative study based on the relationship between school boards and their respective superintendents in three New Mexico school districts designated as exemplary by the New Mexico Public Education Department and the New Mexico School Boards Association.

The findings of the study demonstrate that open communication, board training, goal setting, community approval, and board support for the superintendent are key elements of a governance system that positively affect school district success. Another important element exposed in the study which is significant for school district success is the relationship between the school board members and the superintendents.

The main themes that emerged from the data are closely tied to a conceptual framework for education policy-making which is based on normative, constituentive, structural and technical components, confirming that education policy-making is cyclical in nature.