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