Becoming a High Impact

Board

Susan SalterDirector of Board DevelopmentAlabama Association of School

Boards

Getting Started Write your name on

a tent card and place it in front of you at your table.

Introduce yourself to others at your table and share why you serve on the school board.

Participants will ~ Understand how school boards

work to improve student learning and achievement.

Understand the roles of the board and superintendent.

Objectives

What is:

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 8090 100

What should be:

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 8090 100

Percentage of time spent on student learning

What do school boards in high achieving systems

do differently?

Traits of “high-impact” boards

Consistently express the belief that all students can learn and that schools can teach all students.

Far more knowledgeable about teaching and learning issues.

Traits of “high-impact” boards Use a variety of data to make

decisions.

Create a supportive workplace for staff.

Balance systemwide direction with building-level autonomy.

Involve their communities.

Set clear expectations

Create the conditions for success

Hold the system accountable

Build public will Learn together as a

board team

Emerging Understanding about the Role of the Board in Improving Student Learning

Effective boards don’t micromanage

What is “Key Work”?

So what does all this look like in the real world?

VisionStandards

Collaboration Assessment

Climate

Alignment

Accountability

ContinuousImprovement

Vision

13

Vision isn’t about where schools are; it’s about where the stakeholders want them to be.

It establishes student achievement as top priority of board, staff and community.

Vision

Roles for Vision:

Board

Set the expectation for creating a vision & mission

Approve the vision & mission

Use them to guide

Communicate them at all opportunities

Recommend a process

Assure staff support to carry out the process.

Propose a strategic plan to make vision a reality

Superintendent

VisionStandards

16

Define what students should know and be able to do at key points in their school careers.

Define how well students must be able to perform in order the meet the standards.

Standards:Standards

17

What should students know and be able to do at each grade level?

Is the bar set high enough? Is it too high?

Has the board provided the training and resources the staff needs to do this?

Questions to ask:Standards

Roles for Standards:

Board

Provide policy Provide

resources Build community

support

ID options for the board to consider

Implement decisions

Provide data & info on results

Superintendent

VisionStandards

Assessment

20

Assessment … Provides data on individual progress toward standards.

Identify teachers who are most successful.

Enable teachers to deliver individualized instruction.

Assessment

Roles for Assessment:

Board

Provide policy Provide

resources Build community

support

ID options for the board to consider

Implement decisions

Provide data & info on results

Superintendent

VisionStandards

Assessment

Accountability

23

Establish a strong, shared accountability process focused on:

individual student results; comprehensive data collection; growth and improvement as well

as scores; transparent, honest reporting.

Accountability

•Not about finding the guilty

•Not about blaming

•Not about punishing

Accountability

Accountability

Roles for Accountability:

Board

Provide policy Provide

resources Communicate to

stakeholders

ID options for the board to consider

Implement decisions

Provide data & info on results

Superintendent

The Power of the Right Questions

Being effective leadersfor student learning and achievement does not require board members to have all the answers, but it does require them to ask the right, and sometimes hard, questions.

Table Activity

What questions should you be asking at the board table to

ensure accountability?

What data should you be

studying?

VisionStandards

Assessment

Alignment

Accountability

29

How you choose to use your resources speaks volumes about the board’s “real” goals and sends a message to staff and community about the seriousness of your intent.

Alignment

Alignment is the difference between a regatta

and an armada.

30

Align resources and practices to focus on student learning and achievement by considering:

budget; staff allocation; curriculum, textbooks, technology and

supplies; staff development choices; students and schools with greatest

needs.

Alignment

Alignment is NOT about how much you need, but about how you use what you have.

Remember, Everything is not a priority. Keep first things, first.

What?

Alignment

Roles for Alignment:

Board

Provide policy Provide

resources Build community

support

ID options for the board to consider

Implement decisions

Provide data & info on results

Superintendent

VisionStandards

Assessment

Climate

Alignment

Accountability

35

Create apositive climate

for student success.

Climate

• Do students and staff feel safe?• Does the staff feel empowered

to meet student needs?• Does the board show respect

and professionalism in meetings and in work with superintendent and staff?

Climate

• Are the facilities good work places for employees?

• How is morale?• Is the student Code of Conduct

clear, fair, appropriate?

Climate

VisionStandards

Collaboration Assessment

Climate

Alignment

Accountability

Public schools cannot raise achievement alone. Build partnerships to capitalize on community resources.

Collaboration

With and among staff With parents With the community With business and political

leaders

Collaboration

VisionStandards

Collaboration Assessment

Climate

Alignment

Accountability

ContinuousImprovement

42

Continuous Improvement is a thoughtful, constant process:

Question, Examine, Revise,Refine and Revisit

ContinuousImprovement

43

Customer focus Data-based decisions The right questions at the

right time Open communication Celebrating and rewarding

improvement

ContinuousImprovement

Culture Change

Cost/schedule Decide by hunch Internal

standards Fire fighting Self focus

Quality first Decide by fact Customer focus Prevention Mutual respect

ContinuousImprovement

Individual Do your own

thing Competition Been there, done

that Fix the blame

Team Share ideas Collaboration Is there another

way? Fix the problem

ContinuousImprovement

Culture Change

Set clear expectations

Create the conditions for success

Hold the system accountable

Build public will Learn together as a

board team

The board’s role in improving student learning

Set clear expectations

Create the conditions for success

Hold the system accountable

Build public will Learn together

as a board team

Vision, standards, accountability

Alignment, climate, continuous improvement

Accountability, assessment

Vision, collaboration

Continuous improvement

Lighthouse Key Work

Becoming a High Impact

Board

Questions?