Building Great School Board – Superintendent Teams: A Systematic Approach to Balancing Roles and Responsibilities

To address urgent challenges and drive continuous improvement effectively, school board members, superintendents, and school leaders must develop strong school board/superintendent teams. The authors offer a systematic approach for establishing a unified school leadership team that can efficiently meet demands, avoid conflict, and respond to the ever-changing educational environment. Each chapter includes professional development activities that can be adapted for teams of any size.

Learn how to build an effective school leadership team:

Consider how the school board/superintendent team can remain sustainable and productive in governance, instructional leadership, and school improvement. Foster committed team relationships and develop effective school leadership practices and qualities within the team. Clarify superintendents’ and school board members’ roles and responsibilities to improve governance and avoid conflict. Learn characteristics of effective communication and how to speak with one unified voice as a team. Participate in team professional development activities that build trust, respect, transparency, and accountability among the team.

Contents:

Introduction
Chapter 1: Legal Perspectives and the Case for Local Control
Chapter 2: Induction and New Team Member Orientation
Chapter 3: Team Members’ Roles and Responsibilities
Chapter 4: Effective Communication and a Unified Voice
Chapter 5: Team Decision Making
Chapter 6: Committed, Effective Team Leadership
Chapter 7: Foundational Statements
Chapter 8: Continuous Improvement and Quality Assurance
Chapter 9: Governance and Leadership During Change
Chapter 10: Dysfunctional Teams and Rogue Members
Chapter 11: System Evaluation Essentials
Chapter 12: The Future of the School Board-Superintendent Team
References and Resources