A Leader is one who knows the way, goes the way and shows the way
Great boards know the difference between governance and management. However, even the best boards can experience challenges when doing their level best to govern effectively while remaining out of the management of the schools they govern. There are also situations in a school’s lifecycle during which a board must adjust its role.
Strategic Planning
Just the words strategic planning are enough to make some board members and school leaders feel overwhelmed. The process is usually long, boring, and largely without results unless you count a thick binder collecting dust on a shelf as an achievement. The Institute’s unique approach provides a step-by-step guide for conducting strategic planning. Once completed, the board and school leader will understand what the school is to accomplish, how they will to accomplish it, and their respective roles in the endeavor. And most importantly, the board will know how to evaluate the outcomes.
Leadership Coaching
The charter school board chair is a unique role. Regardless of how much corporate or public sector leadership experience a person has, or how many other boards a person has served on, the leadership of a charter school board requires specific knowledge and skills that can only be learned “on the job” and ideally with the support of those who have gone before. The Institute provides decades of experience in the charter sector and will develop a custom training program unique to the needs of each board chair. This coaching may be provided in person, virtually or both.
New Board Member and School Leader Training
When school leaders and boards are working effectively within their roles, all schools can achieve breakthrough performance. From addressing input principles and output results to universal principles of good governance to helping boards and leaders identify their intersecting “hedgehog circles,” our approach is not only universal but highly practical for charter schools.
Working within Jim Collins’ Good to Great framework, we believe it is imperative that the school leader and each member of charter school governing boards have a clear understanding of their roles and responsibilities. This means having a foundational knowledge of the requirements of their charter contracts; an understanding of the need for continuous improvement; and a passion for being ambassadors for both their school and the charter idea.