What Effective Boards Share

A 2011 report from the Center for Public Education in the United States identifies 8 characteristics of highly effective governing boards. While all of the boards studied for the CPE report are all from elected public (state-supported) school districts, there are still lessons the private, independent sector can learn from this research. The 8 characteristics are (with edits to reflect adaptation to independent and international schools):

1. Effective school boards commit to a vision of high expectations for student achievement and quality instruction and define clear goals toward that vision.
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.
3. Effective school boards are accountability driven, spending less time on operational issues and more time focused on policies to improve student achievement mission fulfillment.
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 mission-related goals.
5. Effective boards are data savvy; they embrace and monitor data, even when the information is negative, and use it to drive continuous improvement.
6. Effective school boards align and sustain resources, such as professional development, to meet district goals.
7. Effective school boards lead as a united team with the superintendent, each from their respective roles, with strong collaboration and mutual trust.
8. Effective school boards take part in team development and training, sometimes with their superintendents, to build shared knowledge, values and commitments for their improvement efforts.

Probably the most controversial of these, applied to the independent sector, would be #4, about the relationship between the board and the school community. More about this in a later post. #8 will surprise some board members, who believe themselves to already be expert on all that they need to know.