When's The Last Time Your Board Took a Look in The Mirror?

While school administrators are regularly evaluated on their performance (and should be), how often is your school board examining its' own effectiveness? This is an area of evaluation frequently overlooked. Shouldn't school board members also be accountable for their work?

When communities elect representatives to serve their school district, the expectation is that they conduct their work responsibly, respectfully and efficiently. It is also expected that they conduct themselves in a collaborative and supportive manner with their only employee, the district administrator. While it doesn't mean everyone is in agreement all the time, the public understands that school improvement requires a positive working relationship between the board and the superintendent of schools.


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Without it, district success, however, it's measured, will be on hold.

So what kinds of measures should be examined by the board in an ongoing manner? Since 2000, the National School Board Association has worked to help school board members across the country master and refine the skills, knowledge, and abilities to be successful. The framework titled, The Key Works of School Boards, provides a road map to assist and support their work. Focused on the primary purpose of student achievement, it measures the board's effectiveness in such areas as vision, relationships, leadership, policy, and accountability.

School Perceptions, a Wisconsin-based research firm, created a board development tool based on the Key Works framework designed to help school boards identify their areas of strength as well as where further dialogue and discussion is needed. It's a self- evaluation tool made available to Wisconsin districts free of charge and easy to implement. Once completed by board members, reports can be generated that describe overall performance, comparison with other boards in similar districts, and with an annual application, longitudinal comparisons. In addition, your board will know how well they are addressing what's considered most important by their national association, the five action areas indexed in The Key Works of School Boards.



Improved school strategic planning board accountability benefits everyone in your community - especially the students in your schools. If you would like to know more about our Annual Board Development Tool, contact us at School Perceptions.

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