Simply because School Boards directly impact student success. Research from a 15 year study shows that School Boards do impact student achievement. School boards have many responsibilities, including approving budgets, constructing and maintaining facilities, hiring a superintendent, and ensuring the safety and security of students. One of the most important responsibilities is student achievement and success in school. Student achievement is affected by many factors and needs to be addressed in a variety of ways and levels. Student achievement of individual students is best dealt with by the teacher, while achievement at the classroom and school level is the responsibility of the principal. These are the proximal (nearest to the student) factors that have the greatest influence on student achievement. However, there are several distal (farthest from the student) factors that also demand consideration. Student achievement at the district level is best addressed by the superintendent and school board. School boards make a difference! They can either work with the district and community in constructive efforts to raise student achievement or behave in ways that actually undermine student achievement. In Riverview, our board works toward constructive efforts and it has paid off in increasing the on time graduation rate from 87% to 97% during my service on the board. Read more about Why Boardmanship Matters and the research behind the study.