Board Readiness to govern is a board responsibility that sets the stage for carrying out its more observable responsibilities in three areas: Strategic Voice [giving voice to the community’s values and vision – both an outward (advocacy) voice and an inward (policy) voice]; Operational Guidance [providing policy guidance for the superintendent’s management role, the board’s governance role, and individual board members’ boardsmanship role]; and Accountability [assuring on behalf of the community that the district, the board itself, and its individual Read More …
Category: Board Readiness
Capacity of a board to perform its governance responsibilities. The first responsibility of a board is to develop its capacity to govern.
Onboarding New Board Members? Recommit to the Oath of Office
The August issue of The American School Board Journal is now online. Its Features section includes an article (Oath of Office) in which I describe an opportunity that presents itself whenever a new board member takes the oath of office. The rest of the board can more rapidly onboard that new member if they renew and recommit to their own oath at the same time, following up the oath ceremony with a whole-board discussion on the meaning of that oath. Read More …
On the Value of Board Training
5 Topics that are useful for board member training, and 2 topics that are of no value (or even cause harm) to board member development.
Seven (Not So) Simple Rules for Board Success – Part I
Board success depends on many elements, including the organization’s leadership and culture, the board’s actions, knowledge, and character, and the situation, but the purpose of board leadership can be simply defined as assuring, on behalf of the community, that the organization succeeds. One way to portray leadership is a three-legged stool – each leg must be present for the three to stand together – consisting of responsibility, authority, and accountability. Leaders at every level, including the board in its leadership role, must accept full responsibility for their level in the organization. They must know those whom they serve. They must assign responsibility for doing the work. They must delegate sufficient authority over the work to get the job done. And they must assure accountability for the work. Before all else, they must take responsibility and be accountable for the board’s own performance.
6 Focus Areas for the School Board
School boards should review 6 areas to help focus their efforts: the state, the community, the students, the district, the superintendent, and (most important) the board itself.
Gaining New Members? Renew Your Whole Board (Part 1 of 3)
The Board Takes Responsibility for Board Readiness Most boards are underperformers when it comes to helping their newest members rapidly become knowledgeable, contributing members of the governing team. Except for the formal swearing-in that is mandated by law, boards leave professional development up to the individual, and for most new board members, that means the slow and haphazard nature of on-the-job experience. This is partly due to board members acknowledging the independent nature of elected (or appointed) office by keeping Read More …
The Case for Supervision – Part II
The best boards keep their noses in the business and their fingers out. Jim Brown (The Imperfect Board Member) The Board Role in Supervision As Jim Brown implies, the best boards supervise but do not run the business. The board role in supervision of a school district is to set expectations about what is to be achieved as far as desired outcomes for students are concerned (what the community wants students to know and be able to do) and provide Read More …
The Case for Supervision – Part I
Power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely. Lord Acton The Problem Early in my first career (24 years in the US Army) I occasionally heard of a senior officer being removed from command due to misconduct of some sort. Although relatively rare in an organization of hundreds of thousands, these incidents seemed to occur more often in situations where the leader was isolated from the next higher level of command, removed from the “prying eyes” of direct observation and supervision. Leaders Read More …
Boards Matter – Part IV
Boards Matter – Part IV (4th of 4 parts) Only boards, because of the democratic power they derive from the people, because of their close links with the people, and because of their stability, can provide the leadership required to redesign and sustain over decades school districts that provide equity and results for all children. – Don McAdams The board contributes to stability. Because of its institutional nature, it is the board, not the superintendent and not its individual members, Read More …
Boards Matter – Part III
Boards Matter – Part III In the high-achieving districts, the board/superintendent team and school personnel consistently expressed an “elevating” view of students. Students were viewed as emerging and flexible and the school’s job was seen as releasing each student’s potential. Bartusek, L (ed.), Iowa School Board COMPASS: A Guide for Those Who Lead Board beliefs/behaviors correlate with student learning. Research specifically looking at school board effectiveness (the Iowa studies conducted in the late 1990s and subsequent work over the next Read More …