Role of the School Board
VISION
- Approve a strategic planning process to include stakeholders in creating the vision for student achievement.
- Adopt the vision.
- Adopts board goals that support the vision.
- Communicates the vision.
- Keeps vision at the forefront of all decision making.
- Accepts policies needed to achieve the vision.
- Allocate resources based on the vision.
- Monitor progress toward vision periodically on a five-week basis.
STANDARDS
- Approve standards for student learning.
- Ensure that curriculum and instruction are aligned with student achievement standards.
- Adopts and revises policies to support standards.
- Participates in periodic work sessions to review student standards and the district's initiatives to help all students achieve.
- Ensures clear, jargon-free communications about standards that increase the awareness and understanding of parents, students and staff.
- Encourage community support for standards.
- Provides resources needed to increase the number of students meeting standards.
- Ensures that instructional programs are evaluated for effectiveness in helping students meet standards.
ASSESSMENT
- Participates in training to increase understanding of assessment.
- Concepts,
- National and state assessments,
- Relationship of assessment to standards.
- Approves and periodically reviews/revise an assessment system for all students.
- Assures staff development on assessment measures.
- Assures effective user-friendly communications on assessment measures and progress.
- Provides funding to support assessment system.
- Approves and monitors policies to assure a strong assessment system.
ACCOUNTABILITY
- Establishes an accountability process with measurable criteria and assures an annual review.
- Participates in work sessions to understand accountability measures, including data analysis and how the board, administration and staff should use this information.
- Ensures that the superintendent's evaluation includes accountability measures.
- Recognizes and rewards teachers who consistently produce greater than average student improvement gains.
- Supports the superintendent's recommendation for when dismissal is warranted.
- Ensures effectively and timely communications on the accountability system and progress.
- Ensures funding to implement accountability measures.
- Evaluates itself on board goals related to student achievement.
- Uses student achievement results to drive decision-making.
- Assures compliance with state accountability measures.
- Ensures that parents receive annual personalized data on their children's achievement.
ALIGNMENT
- Participates in training to better understand how alignment of the following resources is related to student success in meeting standards.
- Staffing and personnel evaluation.
- Facilities.
- Funding.
- Curriculum and Instruction.
- Assessment.
- Technology.
- Assures curriculum alignment supports district priorities.
- Recognizes the authority of the superintendent to implement a district wide organizational structure that empowers staff to meet the needs of all students.
- Approves and monitors policies to assure that students are encouraged to challenge themselves by taking higher level courses.
- Considers student instructional, social and emotional needs when planning for improved student achievement.
- Assures staff development that will advance student achievement priorities of the district.
- Approves the selection of textbooks and instructional priorities.
- Assures that technology is integrated into the curriculum to enhance student achievement.
- Approves budget needs based on student achievement priorities.
- Monitors progress of the district's instructional practices and programs as related to student achievement goals.
- Ensures that the public understands the relationship between standards and curriculum.
CLIMATE and CULTURE
- Fosters a culture that supports the belief that all children can learn at higher levels in these ways:
- Employing and supporting a superintendent who shares this philosophy.
- Developing and revising policies to reflect this philosophy.
- Approves and monitors programs designed to meet special instructional needs of students who are not meeting achievement goals or standards.
- Provides adequate resources to meet student achievement goals through the budgeting process and monitors budget regularly.
- Recognizes and rewards staff and students for high academic achievement and high levels of improvement.
- Conducts all board meetings with student achievement as a clear focus.
- Models respect, professional behavior and a commitment to continuous learning
- With fellow board members,
- With superintendent and staff,
- With parents and students, and
- with community.
- Serve as advocates for higher student achievement in the community and also at the state and federal levels.
- Provides orientation for board candidates and for new board members on expectations for student achievement.
- Assures periodic assessment of school climate throughout the district.
- attendance data,
- discipline data,
- surveys of students, staff, parents ,
- enrollment in higher level classes,
- student enrollment trends.
- Assures a safe and orderly learning environment in all schools.
- Builds public support for higher student achievement and increases public trust of the district through formal and informal communication and through openness.
COLLOBORATIVE RELATIONSHIPS/COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
- Fosters collaborative relationships as a board philosophy
- Strategic planning,
- Community vision,
- Instructional improvements.
- Approves and periodically reviews a district plan to build collaborative relationships with key stakeholders at all levels based on gaining support for student achievement as the district's top priority.
- Models collaboration and trust.
- Advocates district positions on educational issues with legislators and other state and local political leaders and keeps abreast of other state and national issues.
- Advocates student achievement as a community priority.
- Assures a climate of open communications at board meetings and throughout the district.
- Provides funding and resources for collaborative efforts.
CONTINUOUS ACADEMIC IMPROVEMENT
- Follows a regular process to review student achievement data to ensure continuous academic improvement.
- Takes part in training on principles of continuous academic improvement including use of data and customer focus.
- Participates in work sessions to better understand needed changes in curriculum and instruction based on related data.
- Provides funding for continuous improvement.
- Adopts board policies that support continuous academic improvement.
- Supports publicly and communicates the value of continuous academic improvement to the community.