Building Great School Board -- Superintendent Teams. Bradley V. Balch

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: IntroductionChapter 1: Legal Perspectives and the Case for Local ControlChapter 2: Induction and New Team Member OrientationChapter 3: Team Members’ Roles and ResponsibilitiesChapter 4: Effective Communication and a Unified VoiceChapter 5: Team Decision MakingChapter 6: Committed, Effective Team LeadershipChapter 7: Foundational StatementsChapter 8: Continuous Improvement and Quality AssuranceChapter 9: Governance and Leadership During ChangeChapter 10: Dysfunctional Teams and Rogue MembersChapter 11: System Evaluation EssentialsChapter 12: The Future of the School Board-Superintendent TeamReferences and Resources