Nevada Association of School Boards

		NASB Headquarters 549 Court Street Post Office Box 14855 Reno, NV 895074855 Telephone (775) 657-8411 or (775) 443-5988 Fax (775) 453-1017 or (775) 324-5579

President's Message-February, 2012

carolyn_edwards

On January 28 in Reno at the Hyatt Place Hotel, NASB provided three workshops free-of-charge for members of the Board of Directors and Executive Committee. Other board members and superintendents were invited to attend to take advantage of this professional development opportunity. We welcomed two board members from Eureka and three superintendents for this training.

Randy Drake [General Counsel, Washoe County School District] provided an update on the latest information about the “Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act for Board Members.” Erin Cranor [NASB Legislative Chair, Clark] shared an overview about “Social Media for School Board Members.” Before the workshop, Ms. Cranor assisted a number of board members in establishing Twitter and Facebook accounts for their professional use. Sharla Hales [NASB Former President, Douglas] shared ideas for “Effective Board Agendas and Meetings That Focus on Student Achievement.” Those in attendance earned one CPO unit for these workshops.

Ms. Hales centered her presentation around “Eight Characteristics of Effective School Boards,” based on a study from the Center for Public Education, published in 2011. These characteristics are critical for all of us across Nevada, because by incorporating them into our habits as board members, we can all become more effective at the important work of promoting learning and achievement for all children. This month’s President’s Message will focus on four of these characteristics and next month’s Message will continue with the remainder.

1. Effective school boards commit to high expectations for student achievement and quality instruction and define clear goals toward that vision.

This sounds so easy, doesn’t it? But the underlying foundation of this characteristic requires that boards establish a collaborative process to set goals. Sometimes reaching consensus on our district goals is a rocky road.

It is up to us to lead the policy discussion about establishing student achievement as the central, core belief of the board. Sometimes it is challenging for us to agree upon non-negotiable goals that the superintendent and district staff must act upon. We must demonstrate the leadership to work with the superintendent in establishing a clear, concise vision statement that defines what raising student achievement means to the district. We need to involve the community, parents, students, and staff in developing that common vision. We need to be responsive to the needs of all students.

In high achieving districts, staff members could link the school board’s goals to building-level goals for student learning and explain how the goals impacted classrooms. Ms. Hales cited the example of the Washoe County School District’s vision statement that all staff members have embraced: “Every Child, by Name and Face, to Graduation.” Does the staff in your district know what the board’s vision is for your community’s schools and students?”

2. Effective school boards have strong shared beliefs and values about what is possible for students and their ability to learn, and of the system and its ability to teach all children at high levels.

In high-achieving districts, poverty, lack of parental involvement, and other factors are described as factors to be overcome, not as excuses. Board members expect to see improvements in student achievement quickly as a result of initiatives. In addition, board members consistently express their beliefs in the learning ability of all children. “Sometimes people say the poor students have limits. I say all kids have limits. I believe we have not reached the limits of any of the kids in our system.”

One of the most important policy decisions for boards to consider is that of establishing a human resources framework that reflects the board’s commitment to raising student achievement, using strategic goals and success indicators. The work of the Teachers and Leaders Council may help each district in this regard.

3. Effective school boards are accountability driven, spending less time on operational issues and more time focused on policies to improve student achievement.

As boards, this is one of the most difficult aspects of our governance process. We must learn to focus on student achievement while spending comparatively little time on day-to-day operational issuers. Research demonstrates that high-performing boards focus on establishing a vision supported by policies that target student achievement. Yet poor governance is characterized by factors such as micro-management by the board, confusion about the appropriate roles for the board member and superintendent, interpersonal conflict between board chair and superintendent, and board member disregard for the agenda process and the chain of command.

Case studies focused on fast-moving districts reveal that in these districts there is a consensus among board members and other leaders on the identification and implementation of improvement strategies. The board concentrated on decisions that supported improved student achievement rather than on the day-to-day operations of the district.

4. Effective school boards have a collaborative relationship with staff and the community and establish a strong communications structure to inform and engage both internal and external stakeholders in setting and achieving district goals.

In high achieving districts, school board members could provide specific examples of how they connected and listened to the community. They were able to identify concrete ways that promoted this involvement. I challenge each of us to make a mental review of our listening quotient with community groups.

As individual board members, we can still pursue our own issues; however, to be effective board members, we must place the board’s vision and objectives center stage. When our individual interests and expectations distract from board-adopted achievement and instructional goals, we are not contributing to district success but may be working in opposition.

In February, I will begin visiting local school boards across Nevada while serving as NASB’s President. One of my responsibilities is to identify ways that NASB can more effectively assist each local board and all of our State’s 107 board members. Visiting your meetings will enable me to do just that. I look forward to seeing you later this year at your local board meetings.

NASB President / (702) 799-1072

CORPORATE FRIENDS

ABOUT US

HOT TOPICS

COMMUNICATIONS

SUPPORT AND SERVICES

ADVOCACY

BOARDSMANSHIP

RESEARCH AND DATA

President's Message-February, 2012

CORPORATE FRIENDS