top of page
Excel Leadership Logo
Excel Leadership Logo

BOARD
GOVERNANCE

“Govern a great nation as you would cook a small fish. Do not overdo it.”

-Lao Tzu

Our Philosophy

Our Process

Our Deliverables

  • The NSBA’s Key Work of School Boards is foundational and provides the perspective that school board members require.

  • It is important for school board members to understand the difference between management and governance.

  • Effective school boards commit to a vision of high expectations for student outcomes; have confidence in the district’s ability to teach all children at high levels; are accountability driven; and focus on policies to improve student achievement.

  • The board and superintendent must be a united team and have a collaborative relationship with staff and the community.

  • Review in detail the National School Board Association’s (NSBA) Key Work of School Boards

  • Review the roles of the superintendent and board as defined in Key Work of School Boards and discuss what to do when a party is not “staying in their lane”.

  • Run a number of accountability activities where we connect the district’s strategic plan and student performance data to the Key Work of School Boards. 

  • Learn how to “Manage Up” in an activity that focuses on the board’s roles as community leaders.

  • A board grounded in requirements of board service as defined by the Key Work of School Boards by the NSBA.

  • A consensus (or at least a compromise) on the roles of board members. 

  • Tools for responding to situations where the entire board or a small number of members are drifting out of their lane into micro-management or into the duties of other administrators like the superintendent.

  • Tools to use as community leaders to “Manager Up” (responding to citizen comments and concerns).  

Our Uniqueness

​For decades, the focus on tenets of the Key Work of School Boards have been used by our group to influence strategic planning and used as a model for governance.

bottom of page