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

"The authors fill a gap in the literature by providing a practical, experience-based look at how superintendents should approach the most important relationship in their professional lives. Working effectively with school boards is what it is all about, and this book shows you how." -Paul D. Houston, Executive Director, American Association of School Administrators "This book provides practical insights and useful ideas to help district leaders who are serious about keeping the educational interest of children first among their priorities." -Pedro A. Noguera, Professor, New York University "Clearly lays out the important role the superintendent has in leading the district in partnership with the board of education. This book is well worth the time of every current and aspiring superintendent and school board member!" -Anne Bryant, Executive Director, National School Boards Association "This book is a useful tool in building district governance teams. The authors′ collective wisdom provides valuable insight for superintendents and school board members." -Luan B. Rivera, President, California State Boards Association "A wonderful, clear, and jargon-free primer on how to be a successful superintendent. This book is must reading for superintendents and a real plus for school boards." -Dede Alpert, Former California State Senator, Former Member, California State Assembly "An outstanding fieldbook for those interested in down-to-earth strategies for navigating the complexities of providing leadership in school districts." -General Davie, Jr., Retired Superintendent of Schools Foster a strong superintendent-school board relationship centered on quality teaching and learning! Effective Superintendent-School Board Practices helps current and future superintendents and school board members develop an effective governance team that prioritizes quality teaching and learning. Designed for practicing and aspiring superintendents and school board members, this exceptional book relates the everyday experiences and challenges faced by this important district team. Combining 84 years of service as superintendents in urban, rural, and suburban school districts, the authors offer: Real-life vignettes that highlight problems, successes, key points, and useful practices Indispensable information on building relationships, creating a team, managing conflict, and staying focused on the mission and priorities of the district Reflective practice questions and self-assessments throughout This rich resource offers knowledge, skills, and strategies to teach and inspire current and future leaders, based on the experiences of practitioners who have learned what works and what doesn′t, leaving valuable time to focus on student achievement.

The underlying reason for most school superintendent turnover is a breakdown in the board-superintendent relationship. This book presents a comprehensive set of practical strategies and structures that will help ensure effective governance team practices become a permanent way of doing business in the school district. While it is written primarily for K-12 school superintendents, it is also a must-read for anyone aspiring to the role, members of a superintendent's leadership team, and school board members interesting in creating a governance team that works at an optimal level for the benefit of all children.

"With the support of a grant from the Kellogg Foundation, NESDEC formed a research team that launched a year-long national study focused on school board-superintendent collaboration for higher student achievement. The goal of the research was to identify outstanding examples of school board-superintendent teamwork and, and from them, develop recommendations that could help every school board superintendent in America become an effective team working together for student achievement. These recommendations are the focus of Getting There from Here"--Page 2.

"Student success and well-being are the goals of all school staff, whether they are teachers or human services professionals such as counselors, psychologists, or social workers. Building Great Mental Health Professional-Teacher Teams examines how all educators can work together for maximum positive impact on students while making the most of the disciplinary orientation and strengths of each team member. With a focus on overcoming challenging situations and helping students who face adverse childhood experiences, this book provides a sound overview of many issues teams may encounter, from behavior issues to poverty and trauma, and guides readers to a thorough understanding of these problems, their causes, and potential solutions. Providing practical advice for the strategic implementation of action plans to support student success, Building Great Human Services Professional-Teacher Teams informs readers how to navigate inter-group tensions and achieve the shared goal of a school culture that fosters respect, involvement, and growth for all"--

Doug Eadie’s Governing at the Top: Building a Board-Superintendent Strategic Governing Team is both a powerful addition to the K-12 governance literature and a practical guidebook for school board members, superintendents, and senior administrators. Opening with a crystal-clear, eminently practical definition of the work of governing that goes well-beyond the outdated notion of “policy making,” this exciting new book then takes a close look at the key elements involved in building the kind of rock-solid board-superintendent governing partnership that these changing, challenging times demand. After describing the critical role of a “board-savvy” superintendent in the governing partnership, Doug examines in detail how board-superintendent teams can go about developing the board’s governing “architecture” (the board’s governing role, its members, and its committee structure), mapping out processes for active board member engagement in governing work, and keeping the board-superintendent working relationship healthy.

Veteran school board member Richard E. Mayer's humorous approach to administrator-board relations presents negative behavior scenarios and analyses, offers alternatives, and provides win-win solutions.

Building a High-Impact Board-Superintendent Partnership will consist of 11 brief chapters, each covering a critical question that practitioners need to answer in building the board-superintendent partnership

2009 Notable Education Book, American School Board Journal The Essential School Board Book highlights effective practices that are common to high-functioning boards around the country—boards that are working successfully with their superintendents and communities to improve teaching and learning. Amid today’s heightened attention on student achievement, school boards find their responsibilities intensified and transformed. In this age of accountability, all school boards need to consider how best to maintain a focus on student achievement and promote it through district and school policies. In a highly readable and accessible fashion, the book summarizes research linking school board practices to student achievement. It features stories of sixteen diverse boards around the country—elected and appointed; rural, urban, and suburban—and the policies and procedures they have employed to enhance student achievement. Also included is a resource section for those investigating successful school board policies and practices in more depth.

"In Building Great Counselor Administrator Teams: A Systematic Approach to Balancing Roles and Responsibilities, authors Tonya Christman Balch and Bradley V. Balch note the numerous, new challenges of the 21st century that administrators and counselors face in their day-to-day work. In recognition of these challenges, the authors advance purposeful collaboration as the necessary solution and advocate for a system of teamwork between administrators and counselors that places a powerful emphasis on open communication and commitment to the shared goals of school and team. As such, this book provides schools counselors and administrators with an understandable, systematic approach to building a strong system of collaboration. Using this book, readers will learn about the challenges currently facing administrators and counselors, as well as detailed strategies to build effective teams in order to confront and resolve those challenges"--