Becoming an effective leader takes skill, and the National School Boards Association has launched a campaign to develop that skill with one purpose in mind: To improve student learning.

The NSBA challenges boards everywhere to forge stronger links with their communities to make student achievement their top priority. 

 

The Key Work of School Boards provides an eight-point plan to engage the community in seeking higher student achievement:

 

VISION: Establish a clear vision of student achievement as the top priority of the board, staff and community.

 

STANDARDS: Set clear standards for student performance, basing those standards on external sources that have credibility in the community.

 

ASSESSMENT: Establish an assessment process that uses multiple measures to determine whether standards are being met. Fully explain this process to the community.

 

ACCOUNTABILITY: Determine an appropriate means of measuring performance, tracking progress and reporting results to the community.

 

ALIGNMENT: The board aligns resources in support of student achievement, facilitates parent involvement in the education process and includes the community in the review of the budgeting and management of resources.

 

CLIMATE: Foster a positive climate for learning in which the staff is empowered to address the needs of all students. The board sets the tone by modeling respectful, professional behavior in all of its dealings.

 

COLLABORATION: Develop ongoing relationships with political, business and other leaders to build consensus on student achievement.

 

CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT: Commit to ongoing education and training on achievement issues, relying on data when setting priorities and considering both empirical data and community input when adjusting the strategic plan.

 

 

The Key Work of School Boards: A Guidebook - Improving student achievement through community engagement is the Key Work of School Boards. This NSBA guidebook will help boards focus their efforts on improving student achievement using a framework of eight “key” action areas.