This book is written from the unique perspective of school board members who lead and serve districts of all sizes-urban, suburban, and rural. It responds to questions and concerns that have been raised countless times over the years. Five Habits of High-Impact School Boards is intended to be an easily accessible, down-to-earth guidebook, providing succinct, to-the-point information that school board members and superintendents can put to immediate use.
Building a High-Impact Board-Superintendent Partnership will consist of 11 brief chapters, each covering a critical question that practitioners need to answer in building the board-superintendent partnership
Many nonprofits never take full advantage of their board members. Extraordinary Board Leadership: The Keys to Governing deals with an incredibly important topic - "high-impact governing" - which is at the heart not only of a nonprofit's effectiveness, but also the key to a positive, productive, and enduring board-CEO partnership. This text offers practical, hands-on guidance, which is based on in-depth real-life experience and can be put to immediate use. It goes beyond the old-fashioned "policy governance" approach - beyond the rules - in dealing with the board-CEO-executive staff partnership. The 2nd edition of this successful book includes more case studies and new information aimed at public governing bodies, as well as more tables and charts to accompany a fresh new text design.
This is a thought-provoking book on the black-white academic achievement gap in Chicago’s predominantly black communities of color and what highly effective school boards can do to change it. In this book, the reader will be powerfully enlightened by a civil and human rights debate that calls for effective leadership in our schools, beginning with effective school boards. The primary agenda of effective school boards is raising student achievement performance levels and engaging the school district community to attain that goal. These instructive analyses of effective school board leadership builds on the research and wisdom of great leaders. Simultaneously, it develops a breath of fresh air for school reformers who seek to implement a new model and escape the insanity and pathology inherent in school board dysfunctions and violations of our civil and human rights which prevents progress in Chicago’s south suburban communities of color. In both highs and lows of awesome moments, as educational reform leaders and school board members, we are in a strategic leadership position to help school boards carry out their essential responsibilities for creating equity and excellence in public education. In doing so, highly effective school leaders can team with our school board leaders to lead our school district communities in preparing all students to succeed in a rapidly changing global society. School board members doing the same things over and over again and then expecting different results in academic outcomes is the definition for insanity. Education is freedom. In an era of mass educational apartheid with its consequent mass incarceration of blacks that has surpassed the enforced chattel bondage of slavery’s peak numbers in 1860, this book addresses a subject that is critically essential, timely, and in need of immediate attention for the security, success, and ultimate survival of black America. As the problems of the academic under-achievement gap is addressed in this book, it is also essential that school boards, educators, and community and national leaders accept reality, to view the problem in its true perspective, to contemplate it as it is, in providing essential solutions toward removing limiting and limited school boards’ dysfunctions, obstructions, and other barriers to academic achievement in effective school board leadership. Supporting educational excellence will thereby produce more African American scholars in mathematics, science, and in many other disciplines. This book will provide information and focus on some key action areas that successful school boards in America and around the world have focused their attention on: Vision, Standards, Assessment, Resource Alignment, Climate, Collaboration, and Continuous Academic Improvement.
School boards have the potential to build an extraordinary future for our children. The leadership of the school board can launch the potential in every child and educator in their schools, or it can cripple and discourage learning communities. Elected trustees play a critical role in today's school systems. As policy-makers, governors and community representatives, they influence the direction and achievement of schools within their jurisdiction. Administrators new to the school board table must quickly acquire comprehensive knowledge of the mandate and purpose of the school board, and how to work with trustees to lead the school district to attain its educational goals. Exploring facets of school board governance such as the role of democracy, public finance, accountability, purposeful meetings, and how to work with the personalities at the table, this book offers foundational training for board members and general knowledge for persons interested in knowing what school trustees actually do. Thoroughly understanding the purpose of the school board, and what it means to 'guard the trust' on behalf of the citizenry is critical to improved schools and quality education.
This book is about the remarkable and unique purpose of school boards. It is not a book about abolition, or drastic reform. It explains clearly that school boards were established as part of the foundation for a strong democratic society and encourages everyone involved with school systems to guard that foundation.
Superintendents and board members are provided real-life vignettes highlighting challenges and successes, information on building relationships and managing conflict, and reflective practice questions and self-assessment.
The go-to resource for school board members’ greatest challenges! This invaluable guide addresses the top challenges experienced by nearly every school board, and shows how professional learning can support positive change throughout a school system. Effective for individual study or group learning, this resource helps board members to: Learn from case studies focused on 12 critical board-level decisions, including hiring a new superintendent, resource allocation, compensation planning, and more Know when, where, and how to use professional learning to improve individual and districtwide performance Benefit from best practices and tools developed to support effective decisions and successful implementation of major initiatives
Learn why today’s best teachers are leaving—from the teachers themselves. Low pay, increased responsibilities, and high-stakes standardized testing—these are just some of the reasons why more talented teachers are leaving the profession than ever before. Drawing on in-depth interviews with teachers all over the country, Katy Farber presents an in-the-trenches view of the classroom exodus and uncovers ways that schools can turn the tide. Farber's findings, which have been featured on Education Talk Radio, Vermont Public Radio, and in the Huffington Post, paint a sometimes shocking picture of life in today's schools, taking a frank look at • Challenges to teacher endurance, including tight budgets, difficult parents, standardized testing, unsafe schools, inadequate pay, and lack of respect • Strategies veteran teachers use to make sure the joys of teaching outweigh the frustrations • Success stories from individual schools and districts that have found solutions to these challenges • Recommendations for creating a school environment that fosters teacher retention Featuring clear analysis and concrete suggestions for administrators and policy makers, Why Great Teachers Quit takes you to the front lines of the fight to keep great teachers where they belong: in the classroom.
The importance of positive board/superintendent relationships cannot be understated. The need to balance competing political pressures to create the best possible learning opportunities for students is ever present. Most importantly, board/superintendent relationships should be cultivated with openness and transparency among each other and the public. This book is a resource for both board members and superintendents, and explores issues related to the board/superintendent relationship and superintendent hiring practices. The book includes contributions from experienced and new superintendents and board members on a wide range of topics that boards and superintendents must navigate together successfully in order to move districts in a positive direction for students, staff, parents, and communities. This book is unique in that the intended audience is both boards and superintendents. It is not a resource wherein “experts” tell board members how they should conduct board business, nor a resource that informs superintendents how to “manage” school boards. Instead, the book promotes and encourages a productive working relationship and partnership that moves school districts forward in a positive manner.
This book provides practical, hands-on advice for school district superintendents. It is designed to provide needed but rarely taught ideas, insights, and information that superintendents can use to incorporate effective practices into their own school districts.
