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A School Board Guide to Leading Successful Schools
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A School Board Guide to Leading Successful Schools
Focusing on Learning

Foreword by Anne Bryant


Courses:
Superintendency

September 2013 | 248 pages | Corwin

The go-to resource for school board members’ greatest challenges!

For districts striving to improve student academic performance, professional learning at all levels can make a crucial difference. This invaluable guide addresses the top challenges experienced by nearly every school board, and shows how professional learning can assist in overcoming these challenges and support positive changes.

Two influential education leaders—and experienced board trustees—present an approach that helps school board members form their own professional learning community and become a stronger, more productive team. Aligned with Learning Forward’s current Standards for Professional Learning (developed in collaboration with, and supported by, more than 18 national organizations, including the National School Boards Association), this resource enables 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
  • Deepen your understanding of leadership and actions that advance school success and benefit the wider community
  • Know when, where, and how to use professional learning to improve individual and systemic  performance
  • Benefit from best practices and tools developed to support effective decisions and successful implementation of major initiatives

Turn to this resource to assist with your continuous improvement journey and achieve greater success for all schools!

"School boards play a pivotal role in creating a climate of learning in a school system. This book offers practical advice to enable school boards to fulfill this critical aspect of their public leadership role. It is a road map for action and continuous improvement for every school board."
—Thomas J. Gentzel, Executive Director
National School Boards Association

"This book is an excellent tool for the collaborative work of school boards and school personnel. The activities encourage the collaboration and conversation that support continuous improvement in education.”
—Lisa Casto, Director of Curriculum and Staff Development
Allen ISD, TX


 
Foreword by Anne Bryant
 
Preface
 
Acknowledgments
 
About the Authors
 
Introduction: Using This Book as a Guide to Your Learning
 
1. Hiring the Superintendent: Making the Right Choice
 
2. Planning Strategically: Setting and Supporting Priorities
 
3. Advancing Professional Learning: Adopting Standards for Professional Learning
 
4. Allocating Resources: Prioritizing Dollars and Time for Learning
 
5. Improving School Performance: Reviewing School Improvement Plans
 
6. Approving Programs: Supporting Professional Learning for Success
 
7. Setting School Calendars: Providing Time for Educator Learning
 
8. Building Schools: Putting Learning at the Center
 
9. Evaluating Performance: Aligning Expectations
 
10. Compensating Educators: Supporting Learning and Action
 
11. Engaging Parents: Making Parent Learning a Priority
 
12. Improving Continuously: Walking the Talk of Professional Learning
 
Appendix A: Standards for Professional Learning
 
Appendix B: Standards for Professional Learning: School Board Innovation Configuration Maps
 
Appendix C: Standards for Professional Learning: Superintendent Innovation Configuration Map (Leadership Standard)
 
Additional Resources
 
Index

"As Hirsh and Foster note, school boards play a pivotal role in creating a climate of learning in a school system. They have numerous and diverse opportunities to do this--by enacting policies, approving school calendars, adopting budgets, evaluating superintendents, and engaging their communities, to cite just a few. This book offers practical advice to enable school boards to fulfill this critical aspect of their public leadership role. It is a roadmap for action and continuous improvement for every school board."

Thomas J. Gentzel, Executive Director
National School Boards Association, Alexandria, VA

"Effective professional learning merits school board involvement and direction as an integral part of the school district’s vision, mission, goals, and planning. This book will lead a board and district leadership through the process of transforming ‘professional learning’ from a ‘district department’ to an essential component of the district’s culture."

Luke Davis, Former Trustee
Richardson ISD Board of Trustees, TX

"The demands of public education continue to challenge school boards and school district managers. New initiatives and changes to existing programs have become routine. School boards must include support for implementation of these initiatives and changes by establishing a foundation for professional development in their strategic plans and by allocating resources for the professional development needed to succeed."

Glen Ishiwata, Retired Superintendent
Moreland School District, San Jose, CA

"This book is an excellent tool for the collaborative work of school boards and school personnel. The case studies align with today’s challenges in education and in professional learning. The design of the activities encourages the collaboration and conversation that supports continuous improvement in education. This is a great tool for advocating for professional learning!"

Lisa Casto, Director of Curriculum and Staff Development
Allen ISD, TX

"As Professional Learning Director for my school system, I am excited about the possibilities this field guide affords my district through reflection, collaboration, professional growth, and student achievement."

Rhonda Baldwin, Professional Learning Director
Douglas County School System, Douglasville, GA

"Hirsh and Foster have utilized their experiences as educators, board members and professional learning experts to create a valuable resource for school administrators and board members committed to institutionalizing the concept of Professional Learning Communities 'from the boardroom to the classroom.' The chapters are organized to provide case studies on relevant educational topics. The addition of 'conversation starters' and 'activities' aimed at promoting understanding, reflection and proposed actions, allow the guide to be used in a variety of ways. Most importantly, the guide provides a template for boards and administrators to address any issues that impact both student and adult learning."

Wendy Robinson, Superintendent
Fort Wayne Community Schools, IN
Key features
(1) Designed to deepen school board members' understanding of high quality professional learning, its impact on student achievement, and its relation to key responsibilities and decisions of school boards.

(2) Engages school board members in their own professional learning through case analyses and activities for individuals and groups.

(3) Organized around 12 critical decisions that school boards frequently make.

(4) Aligned with Learning Forward's current Standards for Professional Learning.

(5) Assignments, suitable for collaborative teams and individual analysis, expand board members' understanding and capacity to address topics.

For instructors

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