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Revised (Dec 15 2008)
...and more specifically
To focus board of education governance, BCSTA adopted the concept that the Key Work of boards of education is improving student achievement through community engagement. Student achievement is broadly defined to include intellectual, human, social and career development. Boards improve student achievement by engaging their communities in building and maintaining a school system that reflects local priorities, values and expectations. They listen to their communities, guide the work of their school district by setting a plan, policy and the annual budget, and report back to the public on the progress being made in improving student achievement.
Working together as a board, trustees can bring significant improvements to student achievement. According to the McKinsey Education Report, boards need to focus on:
- getting the right people to become teachers
- developing them into effective instructors, and
- ensuring the system is able to deliver the best possible instruction for every child.
The McKinsey Report found that “substantial improvement in outcomes is possible in a short period of time and that applying these best practices universally can have enormous impact in improving failing school systems, wherever they might be located.”
http://www.mckinsey.com/clientservice/socialsector/resources/pdf/Worlds_School_Systems_Final.pdf
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The Lighthouse Inquiry, a further study, identified seven characteristics of boards that are essential in reaching this goal. Boards of education must:
create awareness, clarity and urgency about the need to improve and build commitment to these needs
apply pressure for accountability through the collection and use of relevant, meaningful data on performance
demonstrate ongoing commitment to improvement of the board and the district
provide strong ongoing support for professional development of staff
support and connect with district-wide leadership
purposefully develop meaningful policies specifying desired outcomes and rationales, while avoiding prescriptions on how to achieve results
connect with the community and build public will to improve achievement.
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See Delagardelle, Mary, The Lighthouse Inquiry, chapter 10, pp. 191-224, in Alsbury, Tom, ed. The Future of School Board Governance: Relevancy and Revelation; Rowman and Littlefield, Lanham, MD, April 2008.
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Through district achievement contracts, district literacy plans, Aboriginal education enhancement agreements, satisfaction surveys, district reviews and budget-setting, school trustees, senior administrators and educators have ample opportunities to discuss educational goals with parents and the community. These discussions eventually define local and provincial targets for student achievement.
Some of the Key Work of boards of education follows an annual cycle, other tasks are undertaken during the three-year term of the board. Some strategic plans carry on for five years or more.
Key Work includes:
- leading the district achievement planning process
- leading the district literacy planning process
- living up to the terms of the Aboriginal Enhancement Agreement
- setting the capital plan and operating budget
- participating in regular monthly or bi-monthly board meetings
- participating in standing committee meetings
- participating in ad hoc committee meetings
- participating in community-based meetings
- engaging in board self-review
- hearing parent and student appeals
- engaging in senior manager and principal selections
- attending school and district events
- attending ceremonial events
- participating in BCSTA events
Sometime during your term, you can also anticipate the district review process, a superintendent performance review and union bargaining.
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What boards do in broad terms
