SCHOOL BOARDS MATTER

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SCHOOL BOARDS MATTER! The Lighthouse Project
and South Dakota
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The Lighthouse Project

• A Ten Year Study of
• The Relationship between School Board Leadership
  and Student Learning

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Findings from Phase I

• Boards in high achieving districts were different
  from boards in low achieving districts in two
  main ways
• Beliefs
• Understanding and focus on school renewal (7
  conditions for productive change)

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Findings from Phase II

• A relationship between the beliefs and actions of
  board members, the school culture, and the
  achievement of children. . .
• 5 roles of the board
• 7 areas of board performance
• The knowledge, skills, beliefs boards needed to
  perform in those areas
• Effective approaches for development of
  board/superintendent teams

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Important Linkages
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Some Key Results (Phase II)

• Significant increase in the time boards spent on
  student achievement
• Significant change in the presence of 6 of the 7
  conditions
• Significant change in beliefs
• Significant change in achievement

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Changes in the Conditions of Practice (the
Culture)
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Changes in Seven Conditions

• Connections Across the System
• Knowing What it Takes to Change Achievement
• Workplace Support
• Professional Development
• Balance Between Districtwide Direction and
  Building Level Autonomy
• A Strong Community Connection
• Distributed Leadership

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Perceived Changes in Seven Conditions After 3
Years

• Connections Across the System
• Knowing What it Takes to Change Achievement
• Workplace Support
• Professional Development
• Balance Between Districtwide Direction and
  Building Level Autonomy
• A Strong Community Connection (Same)
• Distributed Leadership

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Changes in Beliefs
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Changes in Beliefs Being Monitored

• Most Significant Changes
• Schools need to be organized/structured
  differently
• Impact adults in school can have on student
  learning
• Improving educators knowledge skills in order
  to improve student learning

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Other Observations

• 90 percent of all bd mbrs and staff said there
  is a clear and focused student achievement goal.
• In 3 of 5 school board time on student
  achievement doubled.
• Staff board members in all 5 districts agreed
  local boards can positively impact student
  achievement.

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Changes in Student Learning
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Fort Madison - State  4th Grade Reading, All
Students
Source Iowa Department of Education, 2008
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Fort Madison - State 4th Grade Reading, Low
Socio-Economic Status
Source Iowa Department of Education, 2008
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Fort Madison - State 4th Grade Reading, Special
Education
Source Iowa Department of Education, 2008
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Fort Madison - State 8th Grade Reading, Special
Education
Source Iowa Department of Education, 2008
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Fort Madison - State  4th Grade Math, All
Students
Source Iowa Department of Education, 2008
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Fort Madison - State 4th Grade Math, Low
Socio-Economic Status
Source Iowa Department of Education, 2008
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Fort Madison - State 4th Grade Math, Special
Education
Source Iowa Department of Education, 2008
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Fort Madison - State  8th Grade Math, Special
Education
Source Iowa Department of Education, 2008
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Beliefs and Demographic

• Factors with no impact on perceived role
• District size
• Time on the board
• Education level of board members
• Time reportedly spent on board work
• Children in school
• Age
• Financial health of district
• Board turnover
• Percent of low-income families

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Beliefs and Demographics

• Factors with impact on perceived beliefs about
  their role
• Region of the state
• Amount of training board members received
• Region of state with less board training and
  where board members held lower beliefs about
  their role for improving student achievement was
  the region with highest concentration of low
  achieving districts.

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Phase III Emerging Learning

• Model for Board Development
• Training Institute for those who develop boards
• State partners (past and current)
• Iowa Idaho
• Illinois Washington
• Missouri Kentucky
• Oregon Conneticut
• Wisconsin California

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Summary Good news!

• Boards Matter!
• Learned a lot about what boards do that has a
  positive impact on district efforts to improve
  achievement
• Learned a lot about how to help boards develop
  the knowledge and skills they need
• Learned that training matters
• Learning how to disseminate what weve learned on
  a large scale

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Challenges

• Confusion lack of understanding about the role
  of the board for improving achievement
• Boards and superintendents view the role of the
  board quite differently (student ach.)
• Beliefs about whats possible and what it will
  take to get different results may inhibit
  projects success

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The South Dakota Connection

• Multiple Level Training Program
• Designed Around School Board Research

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GAVEL

• Roles of School Board
• Set clear expectations
• Create conditions for success
• Hold the system accountable to the expectations
• Build collective will
• Learn together as a board team
• (See attachment to Power Point page 13)

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Leadership for Student Learning

• ASBSD agreement with Lighthouse Project
• Resource Book (130 pages)
• Study Guide (8 Modules, 48 pages)
• DVD (4-minute)

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Pilot Study

• Todd County School Board Superintendent
• Melissa Whipple-Riley, Past President

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School Boards Matter - Future

• National Survey Lighthouse/NSBA
• Areas of Inquiry
• South Dakota
• GAVEL
• Development Delivery Personnel
• Zogby Poll 86 public agree school districts
  should invest in training school board members

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Challenges for School Board Associations. . .

• Qualifications of trainers
• Education background vs. not
• Reluctance to provide both pressure and support
• Pressure as expectation for success rather than
  sanctions
• Support as problem solving through barriers
• External support for in-district work
• Large scale dissemination
• Curriculum vs. Institute
• Belief that School Boards Do Matter