Improving the Superintendent and School Board Partnership
November 18, 2020
The more collaborative and productive a superintendent-school board relationship is, the more efficiently a school system runs. Yet the superintendent-school board relationship is often fraught, marked by conflict, attempts at micromanagement, and single-issue politics. Overwhelmingly white, well educated, and middle-income, school board members also may face an upward climb to understand the needs of the entire district, apart from the geographic subdivisions they come from.
What can school district leaders do to ensure a quick transition and a smooth relationship for their school board members? Plenty, according to educators and experts, and this special report highlights some of those strategies, from broad community training to interest new candidates in the job and governance approaches to guard against micromanagement. The report also includes advice from school board members to their newly elected peers and results from a Education Research Center poll of school board members nationwide.
What can school district leaders do to ensure a quick transition and a smooth relationship for their school board members? Plenty, according to educators and experts, and this special report highlights some of those strategies, from broad community training to interest new candidates in the job and governance approaches to guard against micromanagement. The report also includes advice from school board members to their newly elected peers and results from a Education Research Center poll of school board members nationwide.
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School & District Management From Our Research Center Getting New School Board Members Up to SpeedOne way to train newly elected school board members for the job ahead is to start before they even run for office.
School & District Management Why School Board Diversity MattersMost school boards don’t look the students they serve, but new research suggests that must change.
School & District Management Advice From a Long-Serving School Board MemberFelton Williams shares insights from his 16 years as one of the few Black members on the Long Beach, Calif., school board.
