IMPROVED
LEADERSHIP FOR IMPROVED ACHIEVEMENT
Recommendations of the New England Commission on School Board/Superintendent
Leadership for High Student Achievement
January 2003
Table
of Contents
Introduction
Background
New England and Beyond
Principles for School Board/Superintendent
Teams
Principles for School Boards
Principles for Superintendents of Schools
Final Thoughts
End Notes
New England Commission
Improved Leadership for Improved Achievement was supported by a Ford Foundation grant to the New England School Development Council.
The New England School Development Council (NESDEC) was founded at the Harvard Graduate School of Education in 1945. NESDEC is a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to work with school districts to develop schools as high performance organizations. NESDEC fulfills its mission through program and service offerings in four major areas: Professional Development, Planning and Management, Executive Searching, and Research Development. Today, NESDEC represents more than 300 school districts in the New England states. For more information about NESDEC, please contact: John R. Sullivan, Jr., Executive Director, NESDEC, 28 Lord Road, Marlborough, MA 01752. Phone: 508-481-9444. E-mail: nesdec@nesdec.org.
The Ford Foundation, established in 1936, is a private, nonprofit institution that serves as a resource for innovative people and institutions worldwide. Its goals are to strengthen democratic values, reduce poverty and injustice, promote international cooperation, and advance human achievement. A national and international philanthropy with assets of more than $12 billion, the Foundation has provided more than $10 billion in grants and loans worldwide. The Ford Foundation maintains headquarters in New York, offices in countries in Africa and the Middle East, Asia, Latin America, and an office in Russia.
Questions about this report? Contact authors/editors Richard H. Goodman or William G. Zimmerman, Jr., New England School Development Council, 28 Lord Road, Marlborough, MA 01752. Phone: 508-481-9444.
Additional
copies of Improved Leadership for Improved Achievement are available
from NESDEC. Single copies are $7.50 or $5.00 for NESDEC affiliates. Price
includes shipping and handling.
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In December 2001, the New England School Development Council (NESDEC) launched a year-long planning effort aimed at enhancing the leadership capacity of school boards and school superintendents to work together more effectively for high student achievement. Supported by a grant from The Ford Foundation, NESDEC formed a New England Commission on School Board/Superintendent Leadership for High Student Achievement to guide its work. Chaired by Dr. Jack Hoy, past president of the New England Board of Higher Education, the Commission includes regional, state, and local leaders from the six states.
The work of the Commission is grounded in two recent national reports1 developed by NESDEC with the participation of select groups of national and state leaders and experts in school district governance and leadership. In 1997, the Educational Research Service (ERS) and NESDEC published "Getting There from Here", which highlights NESDEC's national research on the strong link between high student achievement and school board/superintendent leadership. That report, supported by the Kellogg Foundation, was based on visits and interviews NESDEC conducted in five states (Kentucky, Massachusetts, Michigan, Oregon, and Texas).
In 1999, supported by a grant from The Ford Foundation, NESDEC staff, guided by a top-level national advisory committee, examined more deeply the concept of board/superintendent team leadership, and produced "Thinking Differently: Recommendations for 21st Century School Board/Superintendent Leadership, Governance, and Teamwork For High Student Achievement." That report defines student achievement to include the following:
- Academic attainment reaching beyond what a state test or other standardized test currently measures (e.g., higher order thinking skills, intellectual curiosity and creativity).
- Jobs skills and preparation.
- Citizenship (e.g., volunteerism, voting, community service, abiding by laws).
- Appreciation of the arts.
- Development of character and values (e.g., integrity, responsibility, courtesy, patriotism, and a work ethic).
- Sound physical development and optimal health of all children throughout their formative years to prepare them for healthy, productive lives as adults.
- Helping our children and youth understand and value the growing diversity of American society.
America's public schools educate some 90% of the children with a commonly-accepted mission to help every child, without regard to race, ethnicity, religion or socio-economic status, achieve at the highest possible level. The public schools remain the great equalizer wherein all children regardless of race, religion, or socio-economic status, are able to achieve and substantively improve their quality of life. The public schools not only help children achieve academically but also prepare them to become good citizens and fully participating members of society, empowered to pursue future opportunities and able to lead healthy and productive lives.
At its several meetings this past year (2002), the New England Commission discussed principles aimed at creating a firm foundation for school board/ superintendent leadership and teamwork governance for high student achievement in the six New England states. The previously cited national research studies1 conducted by NESDEC pointed out that effective local leadership and teamwork is characterized by a harmonious relationship between the board and superintendent, and among board members. Differences of opinion on policy, budget, and other matters at board meetings are discussed in a candid, professional manner. Following action by the school board, all board members and the superintendent strongly support the decisions of the school board.
The first NESDEC/ERS publication, "Getting There from Here," recommends that in order for a board and superintendent to develop an effective collaborative team and focus their work on improving student achievement, there are several areas in state law that should be examined:
- School board members to be elected at large, on a non-partisan ballot.
- Elections should be for three to four year terms, and staggered, so a majority of the board is never up for election the same year.
- School board candidates should participate in an orientation workshop which emphasizes the school board's role and the importance of board/superintendent leadership and teamwork for high student achievement.
- Boards should be empowered to issue long term contracts with superintendents for up to six years.
- Board/superintendent teams must be allowed to hold "leadership development workshops" in private (see the Illinois law).2
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Public education in New England is big business. School boards and superintendents in the six state region are responsible for the education of over two million students and the annual expenditure of over $18 billion dollars.
There is a great deal of variety among the 1,258 school districts in the six New England states, ranging from major cities such as Boston, Hartford, and Providence to small rural communities throughout the region. The Commission recognizes the very significant differences in school districts among and within the New England states.
Statutes, regulations and policies on school governance need to be sufficiently concise so as to provide clear direction yet flexible enough to accommodate the significant differences in size, complexity, demographics and resources among school districts throughout the country. The principles that follow were developed by the Commission as generic guidelines based on current research and "best practices" and are designed to clarify and improve the governance of school districts in order to improve student achievement in every community.
The principles can be a basis for local policy; local modifications may be made to accommodate district size, type, and location. The principles can also be used by state leaders working to strengthen local board/superintendent governance and leadership, and by graduate school professors preparing future school superintendents. The Commission recognizes that while each state has overall responsibility for public education, much of that responsibility has been delegated to local school districts. At the same time, recent action by both state and federal governments has placed new demands on local districts to improve student achievement.
We believe that efforts by the local school board and superintendent to create a harmonious and productive relationship with an effective governance structure is essential to board/superintendent leadership and teamwork for high student achievement. The principles outlined below are intended to provide the basis for discussion and action in order to attain harmonious and productive school district governance relationships in every community.
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PRINCIPLES OF TEAM LEADERSHIP FOR HIGH STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT
PRINCIPLES FOR SCHOOL BOARD/SUPERINTENDENT TEAMS
The board and superintendent, while understanding and respecting their separate roles, work together as a leadership and governance team for high student achievement. This team assumes collective responsibility for building unity and creating a positive organizational culture in order to govern the school system effectively. All board members and the superintendent strive to build and sustain an effective board/superintendent working relationship to support strong leadership, governance, and teamwork for high student achievement.3
The "Team" concept used herein is successful when the board/superintendent team works together in an atmosphere of trust and mutual respect for one another's roles (legal and otherwise). It is essential that the board and superintendent work together in a harmonious, collaborative, and effective manner to achieve the objective of improving student achievement. Thus, while this first section focuses on principles to guide the board/superintendent team, the second section deals with principles regarding the board's policy, fiscal, and legislative roles, and the third section with principles regarding the superintendent's role as chief executive officer and educational leader of the district.
The primary responsibilities of the school board and superintendent leadership team, in accordance with state and federal laws and regulations, are to engage the community and staff to set a direction for the district (mission), provide a structure by establishing policies, ensure accountability, and provide community leadership on behalf of the district's children. The leadership team engages in an ongoing, two-way conversation with the entire community. The purpose of the conversation is to enable the board and superintendent to hear and understand the community's educational aspirations and desires, to serve effectively as an advocate for district improvement, and to inform the community of the district's performance. Communications should be designed to create trust and support among community, board, superintendent, and staff, which are essential for an effective educational system. Ideally, this should extend to promoting partnerships and collaborative arrangements with leaders and policy makers in preschool and post-secondary educational institutions and agencies.
To fulfill these responsibilities, there are a number of specific jobs that effective board/superintendent leadership teams carry out:
- Involve the community, parents, students, and staff in developing a common mission for the district focused on learning and high achievement for all students enabling graduates to access higher education or other appropriate career opportunities.
- Advocate on behalf of students and public education at the local, state, and federal levels.
- Provide community leadership on educational issues by creating strong linkages with social service, business, health, and other local organizations and agencies to provide community-wide support for healthy development and high achievement for all children.
- Adopt, evaluate, and update policies consistent with the law and the district's mission. While any board member, other citizen, or staff member may propose a policy, such proposals are referred to the superintendent for study and research, leading to a recommendation for board deliberation and action.
- Maintain accountability for student learning by adopting the district curriculum and monitoring student progress through a variety of methods including state and national assessment programs. The superintendent, with optimal staff participation, recommends the curriculum and the measures for monitoring student progress for board action. The board holds the superintendent accountable for student achievement.
- Adopt a fiscally responsible budget based on the district's mission, and regularly monitor the district's financial status. The superintendent works with principals and other staff to prepare a budget aimed at achieving district goals for high student achievement. The school board is responsible for deliberating on and adopting a budget to present to the district's legislative body for action.
- Ensure that a safe and appropriate educational environment is provided to all students.
- Establish an appropriate framework for the district's collective bargaining process.
- Evaluate and improve its own leadership effectiveness. This includes consistent participation in frequent leadership team retreats and professional development activities focused on improving board/superintendent governance for high student achievement. All board members and the superintendent commit the time and energy necessary to be informed and effective leaders.
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In the public education system, a school board member is a person elected or appointed to serve on a school district board of education. Individual board members bring unique skills, values, and beliefs to their board. As the corporate entity charged by law with governing a school district, each school board sits in trust for its entire community. The obligation to govern effectively imposes some fundamental duties on the board. In order for the school board and superintendent to govern effectively, individual members must work and learn with each other and the superintendent in a collaborative manner to ensure that high quality education is provided to each student. Each school board member understands that authority rests with the school board as a whole and not with individual board members.
The school board has the overarching responsibility for ensuring that every student reaches established learning standards. In order to do this, the school board must:
- Adopt policies to assess, monitor, and promote student performance in accordance with local and state standards.
- Direct and oversee long-range planning of the educational program and facilities, keeping the focus on high student achievement.
- Engage the community in establishing the mission of the public schools, establish policies under which the school district will function, and adopt goals designed to achieve the mission of the school district.
- Hire an outstanding educational leader as the superintendent of schools, hold that person accountable for high student achievement and for the efficient operation of the school system, provide appropriate respect and support for the superintendent, and periodically evaluate the superintendent's leadership.
- Approve a budget, and secure the financial support necessary to achieve the mission. Periodically review financial statements provided by the superintendent and ascertain that the board's spending plan is being properly implemented.
- Approve negotiated collective bargaining agreements and other contracts in accordance with school board policy.
- Understand the distinction between board and staff roles and, by policy, delegate management and administrative functions, including personnel functions, to the superintendent.
- Communicate district needs to local voters and local, state, and federal elected officials.
- Select as board president (chairperson) a board member who demonstrates essential leadership qualities to preside at board meetings, work closely with the superintendent to establish meeting agendas, and be an articulate spokesperson for the board. The person the board elects as its president is key to what the board accomplishes and to the nature of the relationship between the superintendent and board members.
- Evaluate its own performance and periodically take part in workshops with the superintendent, aimed at strengthening their collaborative leadership for high student achievement. In the process of meeting the above responsibilities, the school board will focus its meetings and other activities on improving student achievement.
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PRINCIPLES FOR SUPERINTENDENTS OF SCHOOLS
In the public education system, the school superintendent is appointed or elected by the school board and serves as the educational leader and chief executive officer of a school district. State governments have specific requirements (academic preparation and experience) that an educator must meet in order to become a superintendent. The superintendent shall have, under the direction of the school board and in conformance with state law and local policies, general supervision of the public schools and of all personnel and departments of the school system. In some states, the superintendent is accountable to the state Commissioner of Education for carrying out duties prescribed by the State Board of Education and/or the state legislature. School governance must be streamlined and simplified so that the governing board provides direction-setting and oversight while the superintendent serves as the chief executive officer responsible for operational matters of the school district.
To support and complement the key work of a school board, the effective superintendent must:
- Work with the board as a "governance team" to build a unity of purpose and serve as educational leader and chief executive officer of the school system with primary focus on improving student achievement.
- Serve as advisor to the school board, recommending policies, curriculum, the annual budget, collective bargaining agreements, and other matters as required by law.
- Value, advocate, and support public education, and serve as educational leader and role model for the community and all stakeholders.
- Promote the success of all students and develop a comprehensive assessment system to assist the school board in performing its school system oversight role; keep the staff and community focused on pupil learning and achievement.
- Develop effective organizational structures and processes to promote high student achievement.
- Hire all personnel, both certified and classified. The superintendent, when seeking input from the school community, will seek input from the school board when hiring administrators. The superintendent is responsible for ensuring that each employee is properly supervised and evaluated, and when necessary, terminated.
- Recognize and respect the differences of perspective and style among board members and among staff, students, parents, and the community - and ensure that the diverse range of views is duly considered and informs board decisions.
- Support and engage in lifelong learning and provide leadership for the board's and staff's continuous professional development.
- Understand that ultimate authority rests with the board as a whole; provide guidance and leadership to the board to assist in decision-making.
- Communicate openly with trust and integrity including providing all members of the board with equal access to information, recognizing the importance of both responsive and anticipatory communications.
- Prepare the agenda for school board meetings for review with the board president; support a consistent focus on high student achievement at board meetings.
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New England's school and civic leaders have an exceptional opportunity to become America's leaders on school board/superintendent governance and teamwork for high student achievement. Adopting principles for team leadership is the first step.
The principles outlined in this document are designed to clarify and improve the governance of school districts in order to improve school district performance and pupil achievement. In some instances, existing state laws support these principles. In other instances, individual school boards have adopted policies which include these principles.
Further, we recommend the principles be used:
- By state education commissioners, state boards of education, and state legislators and governors to examine and strengthen current laws relating to school district governance.
- By state education commissioners and state boards of education in an updating of current certification regulations for superintendents.
- By faculty in university schools of education as a basis for strengthening the graduate programs for preparing superintendents of schools especially with respect to their work with school boards.
- By state associations of school boards and school administrators and others in their leadership development workshops for local board/superintendent teams.
- By local school boards and superintendents in adopting policies for their work as a leadership team.
In addition to examining the above recommendations, the New England Commission recommends that state leaders review other documents on school board/superintendent leadership, including the Massachusetts Education Reform Act of 1993,4 a statement on school district organization prepared by NESDEC (see below), a new report on local school district governance prepared by the Education Commission of the States (ECS),5 and the recent NSBA/AASA publication, "Team Leadership for Student Achievement".3
The Massachusetts Education Reform Act of 1993 contains many features that support school board/superintendent leadership and teamwork for high student achievement. The law makes it clear that boards (called "school committees" in some New England states) are policy boards, with superintendents as CEOs. Thus, boards establish goals, policies, and budgets, and select, work with, and evaluate the superintendent. In turn, the superintendent hires, works with, and evaluates principals, who serve at the pleasure of the superintendent. The school board's main employee is the superintendent, who is responsible for personnel matters. Principals select their school's staff, subject to the approval of the superintendent. Thus, school boards (school committees) are not involved with the hiring, assignment, or firing of staff. The law also establishes local school councils which must prepare an annual school improvement plan to be submitted to the school committee and superintendent for approval. The local school council includes a representative group of parents and teachers, and is led by the school principal.
Another area the Commission believes must be critically examined is school district organization and governance. This is of particular concern in the northern New England states where there are a number of small separate school districts, each with its own school board and budget, which may be joined together in a "supervisory union" or "school administrative unit", and share a superintendent or employ a part-time superintendent. In many regions, the largest district in the "union/unit" operates a high school for the region. The superintendent is expected to work with as many as six to ten school boards, resulting in excessive time in multiple school board meetings. In addition, the superintendent and staff must maintain separate budgets, accounts, inventories, collective bargaining contracts, etc., for each separate independent school district - a very inefficient organizational construct that is not an attractive administrative structure for hiring and retaining educational leaders. Time that should be focused on improving the achievement of children is spent preparing for the multi-board meetings and follow-up on board decisions, often quite similar in each separate school district.
In order to increase the probability that a school board and superintendent will become a strong leadership team which focuses on improving student achievement, we strongly recommend that state governments require multi-school districts in a supervisory union/unit or small independent school districts to merge into a viable single school district. The result would establish single K-12 school districts with one school board and one superintendent as the educational leadership team, one budget, one collective bargaining contract, one curriculum, one policy manual, etc., and a clear focus on high achievement for all children. Throughout New England, there are communities that have successfully banded together to form one K-12 cooperative or regional school district with one school board and one budget for all of the schools in the region.
Finally, we recommend state and local leaders examine the new report from the Education Commission of the States entitled, "The Roles and Responsibilities of School Boards and Superintendents: A State Policy Framework," and the recent NSBA/AASA publication, "Team Leadership for Student Achievement". The ECS Report has many excellent suggestions to help shape state policy and legislation on school board/ superintendent leadership for high student achievement. The NSBA/AASA publication states, "By collaborating to create a climate of trust and open communication, the board/superintendent leadership team can unite a community around its children."
It is well past time to "think differently" about school governance. Board members and the superintendent should model teamwork throughout the school system in a manner designed to improve achievement for all students. Boards need to focus on the big picture matters, superintendents on operational matters, and the board/superintendent team on smooth, collaborative, seamless leadership and governance for school system and pupil achievement improvement. It has been well documented that in school districts where the school board and superintendent work together harmoniously and collaboratively, student performance invariably improves and community support is enhanced. As Professor Fred Hess concludes in his recent research report, "…a well-functioning leadership team provides a foundation for effective governance and administration and an environment in which student achievement can be fostered."6
The New England Commission on School Board/Superintendent Leadership for High Student Achievement urges local and state leaders in each of this region's six states to examine these principles and develop plans to strengthen public school leadership in every community. Reaching the goal of high achievement for all students demands no less.
NESDEC expresses appreciation to the California School Boards Association and the Illinois Association of School Boards for providing material on which many of the above principles are based.
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- "Getting There from Here: School Board-Superintendent Collaboration: Creating a School Governance Team Capable of Raising Student Achievement", Richard Goodman, Luann Fulbright, William Zimmerman, Educational Research Service, 1997. "Thinking Differently: Recommendations for 21st Century School Board/Superintendent Leadership, Governance, and Teamwork for High Student Achievement", Richard Goodman and William Zimmerman, Educational Research Service, 2000.
- For Illinois law, see 105 ILCS 120/2 (2001).
- "Team Leadership for Student Achievement", Ellen Henderson, Jeanne Henry, Judith Brody Saks, Anne Wright, National School Boards Association and American Association of School Administrators, 2001.
- Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 71. Also see the "Advisory on School Governance", Massachusetts Department of Education, 1995.
- To obtain a copy of "The Roles and Responsibilities of School Boards and Superintendents: A State Policy Framework", contact the Education Commission of the States (ECS), 700 Broadway, Suite 1200, Denver, CO 80203.
- "School Boards at the Dawn of the 21st Century - Conditions and Challenges of District Governance", Fred Hess, University of Virginia, National School Boards Association, 2002.
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NEW ENGLAND COMMISSION ON SCHOOL BOARD/SUPERINTENDENT LEADERSHIP FOR HIGH STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT
JACK
C. HOY, CHAIRPERSON, (past President, New England Board of Higher
Education), Duxbury, MA
Judith A. Aiken, Professor, University of Vermont, College of Education
and Social Services, Burlington, VT
John A. Bucci, Dean, Rhode Island College, Feinstein School of
Education and Human Development, Providence, RI
Joseph J. Cirasuolo, Superintendent of Schools, Wallingford, CT
Peter W. Cook, Principal of the Gray, Maine Middle School
John R. Correiro, Northeast and Islands Laboratory at Brown University,
Providence, RI
Howard T. Crawford, State Representative and Chairman, House Education
Committee, Montpelier, VT
Joseph M. Cronin, past President of Bentley College, and former
Professor at Harvard University and Boston University, Milton, MA
Sonia Diaz Salcedo, Superintendent of Schools, Bridgeport, CT
Nicholas C. Donohue, Commissioner of Education, New Hampshire State
Department of Education, Concord, NH
Thomas D. Dretler, President and CEO, Eduventures, Boston, MA
David P. Driscoll, Commissioner of Education, Massachusetts State
Department of Education, Malden, MA
Frederick J. England, Jr., Chairman of the Board, Hastings-Tapley
Insurance Agency, Woburn, MA
Mary-Beth Fafard, Northeast and Islands Laboratory at Brown University,
Providence, RI
William Holland, Professor, Rhode Island College, Feinstein School
of Education and Human Development, Providence, RI; past Commissioner
of Higher Education, RI
Barbara Krysiak, Professor, University of New Hampshire, Portsmouth,
NH
Wilfredo T. Laboy, Superintendent of Schools, Lawrence, MA
David H. Larson, Executive Director, Connecticut Association of
Public School Superintendents, West Hartford, CT
Jacob Ludes, III, Executive Director, New England Association of
Schools and Colleges, Bedford, MA
Patricia B. Luke, Connecticut State Board of Education, Hartford,
CT
John T. MacDonald, Professor, University of Connecticut, School
of Education, Storrs, CT Christopher M. Martes, Executive Director,
Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents, Boston, MA
Ogretta V. McNeil, School Committee Member, Worcester, MA
Jane E. Milley, Bunker Hill Community College, Boston, MA
Jane E. O'Hearn, State Senator and Chairperson, Senate Education
Committee, Concord, NH Robert S. Peterkin, Professor, Harvard University,
Graduate School of Education, Cambridge, MA Tomas E. Ramirez, Director
of Science of the Providence, RI Public Schools
S. Paul Reville, Professor, Harvard University, Graduate School
of Education, Cambridge, MA
Lystra M. Richardson, Professor, Department of Educational Leadership,
Southern Connecticut State College, New Haven, CT
Kenneth R. Rossano, Senior Vice President, Cassidy and Associates,
Boston, MA
Jacqueline A. Roy, J. A. Roy Associates, Educational Consultants,
Dennisport, MA
Richard L. Schwab, Dean of Education, University of Connecticut,
Storrs, CT
Michael J. Sentance, Regional Secretary of Education, Boston, MA
Mark R. Shibles, Professor, University of Connecticut, Storrs,
CT
William J. Spring, School Committee Member, Boston, MA
Paul K. Sutherland, Kennedy School of Government, Cambridge, MA
Charles C. Tretter, Executive Director, New England Governors'
Conference, Boston, MA
Robert A. Weygand, President, New England Board of Higher Education,
Boston, MA
Dean Williams, Kennedy School of Government, Cambridge, MA
Blenda J. Wilson, President, Nellie Mae Education Foundation, Quincy,
MA
Michael L. Wood, Superintendent of Schools, Gray, ME
NESDEC
Project Staff
Richard H. Goodman, Project Director
Edward J. Gotgart, Assistant Executive Director
John R. Sullivan, Jr., Executive Director
William G. Zimmerman, Senior Consultant
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