Leadership Resource Center

The School Board's Role on Student Achievement
Research studies and guidance for how school board actions can influence student achievement.

Board-Superintendent Partnerships for Student Achievement
Explore this presentation and consider steps your team can take to improve outcomes for students. Read more

Governing to Achieve
This white paper from California School Boards Association summarizes the school board’s role for improving student achievement. Read more

How School Boards Influence Student Achievement
The actions of your school board can have a major influence on student academic achievement, according to the findings of a recent study of Montana school boards. Read more

Responding to the Risk of Infectious Disease in Public SchoolsTexas Association of School Boards (TASB), Legal Services, has developed this detailed guide entitled “Responding to the Risk of Infectious Disease in Public Schools.” Its primary purpose – to encourage school districts to review infectious disease response plans each year – responds to concerns about the spread of Ebola and Enterovirus in public schools. The guide encourages school boards to monitor available resources to ensure that only the most current guidance is followed. The 21-pp. TASB guide is an excellent resource toward better understanding infectious disease, and in addition to links to general resources, provides clear guidance on communicating effectively with staff, students, parents, and the media. Companion Q&A address an array of related topics, from privacy issues to “hot topics” in the news such as quarantine and observation. Read more

 

Ten Myths of School Board Service
Each election year, citizens decide to run for their local school board and some approach the job with preconceived ideas of what the job will be and what they want to accomplish on the board. Among those ideas are some persistent myths that veteran board members have learned are just not true. Read more

The Purpose of Public Education and the Role of the School Board
Start with purpose. What is the purpose of public education for your school district? Having this conversation with your board and superintendent, and then leading the conversation with your community, can be a powerful opportunity to clarify and focus the work of your school district. Read more

Improving Superintendent Evaluation
Effective and fair evaluation of the superintendent may be one of the most important ways school boards can lead an aligned and highly effective school system. Read more

Quick Assessment Accountability
NSBA’s Key Work of School Boards Guidebook frames the role of school boards in student achievement, including the board’s role in accountability. The self-assessment and guiding questions below can help your board reflect on your work. See the Key Work Guidebook for a much more complete self-assessment.

Accountability Dashboards and Annual Reports
Get ideas to adapt for your district from this compilation of best practice dashboards, scorecards, assessment reports, and annual reports from across the country. Read more

Case Study: Charlotte-Mecklenburg School District Board Meetings

The purpose of the case study below is to provide you and your board with practical insights from other school board leaders to help you address and solve important issues that you may face as a school board member. 

We organized each board meeting by topic. Each topic includes links to board agendas, video footage of the board meetings, and PDFs of reports and presentations that are related to each topic discussed.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg School District was chosen for this case study because they are a past winner of the CUBE Annual Award for Urban School Board Excellence, which recognizes effective school board governance across the nation. View Meetings