This works when a board and the superintendent are clear about their roles and authority. Leadership and implementation mesh efficiently and effectively with neither side taking over the role of the other. However, as many boards know, this isn't always the case, and one reason may be because of unclear definitions about policy and regulation. They create a framework within which the superintendent and staff can discharge their assigned duties with positive direction. Policies should be broad enough to allow for discretionary action by the administration, yet narrow enough to give clear guidance.
Policy answers the questions of what, why, how much, and, sometimes, how well.
A policy on field trips and excursions, for example, might authorize such trips when they help accomplish the objectives of the general curriculum. In addition, the policy would set out some basic factors to be considered in making these trips, such as the cost and the suitability of the activity and distance traveled in terms of the age level. Regulations are the specific procedural steps used to implement policies. They answer the questions of when, where, why, and by whom. The superintendent is responsible for the development, adoption, and distribution of regulations, as well as their ultimate interpretation.