Books & Articles
Books
Book Review: Good Governance is a Choice
Love it so far! -Dr. Bradford Saron, Superintendent, Sun Prairie Schools, WI
Good Governance is a Choice: A Way to Re-Create Your Board the Right Way
HOT off the press … the newly revised second edition of our classic governance book Good Governance is a Choice Another new book release from AGI Aspen Group Intl LLC. Get your copy today! New examples, new advice, new ways to think about this work of governing. The conceptual basis for learning and adopting Coherent […]
“The Art of Governing Coherently”
The authors draw from their combined 70-plus years of experience in working with public and non-profit boards, including work with hundreds of boards using both Coherent Governance® and Policy Governance®, as they present their insight about how to use the models effectively.
Articles
Mavericks on Board
How do you handle colleagues who resist teamwork? A board is more than a collection of individuals. Every respected authority on the functioning of boards suggests that for a board to be effective as an entity entrusted to govern an organization on behalf of its owners, it must act as a single unit.
How to Hire – and Keep – Your Next Superintendent
The enormously high rate of superintendent turnover in this country is legendary. When a superintendent’s departure is involuntary, both the board and the superintendent usually engage in the blame game. And there usually are no winners at the end of the game.
Good Governance: Art or Science?
What is it about governing an organization that makes it such a formidable challenge? by Linda J. Dawson and Dr. Randy Quinn Some organizations seem to govern well. Results show in the form of high achievement, good interpersonal relations, an organization that operates effectively and efficiently, and strong public or member confidence and support. But for […]
Eight Quick Tips to Increase Meeting Effectiveness
You sometimes feel as if you spend your life in meetings. Some you may consider to be “good,” but maybe—just maybe—some do not feel as if you spent your time well – right? So…how can you improve the quality of your meetings and the precious time spent at board meetings? How can the content of […]
Searching for a CEO who cares about Governance.
8 tips to increase a successful hire. We’ve worked with boards who have done a great job securing a CEO who can work with them and their governance values. We’ve known others who think they hired the right choice, only to have the CEO refuse to work with them in good governance. YIKES! Who wants […]
Holding Successful Board Meetings
Eight Quick Tips to Increase Effective Meetings Board meetings reveal a lot about the ability of the board to lead. From physical set-up, agendas, and behaviors to staying focused on Results. Here is a quick checklist to consider – with more to come! Identify behavioral expectations for members and hold each other accountable. Configure the […]
Building a Culture of Accountability – The Right Way
Five buckets of wisdom to help a governing board hold its CEO accountable for achievement. Case Study: Literacy Bill sat with his Board as Results for Student Achievement were developed. He not only agreed, but wholeheartedly asserted, that literacy is job number one in the district. He defined what literacy means to him and to […]
Do you believe coherent governance is a good model?
The principles of “coherent governance” guide the Board of Education in its decision-making and relationship to the district administration. Do you believe coherent governance is a good model? Why or why not?
A Legacy of Board Leadership
Two Examples of How Effective Board Governance Contributed to Increased Student Achievement Does a school board really make any difference to improved student achievement? Do the arduous campaigning, the hours of study, the countless meetings, and the rigors of debate in pursuit of wise decisions by a school board actually have any effect on student […]
Why Board Culture Matters
In America, the most critical responsibility of a school board is to safeguard the public’s trust in public education. Since the board is not responsible directly for day to day operations, achieving this trust requires the employment of a CEO/superintendent with great integrity and expertise.
The Board Agenda: A Means to Governance Reform?
Throughout the land, superintendents lament their boards’ tendency to “micromanage.”
Although some board members might agree, many argue that they are merely doing their jobs, primarily overseeing the operation of the district to be sure things are working the way they should. And in truth, they are doing the work of the board, as they have defined it.
So this is the challenge: simply redefine the role of the board.
Ten Strategies to Help Assure the Sustainability of Coherent Governance® in the Public School Environment
A board’s decision to adopt and faithfully implement Coherent Governance® is the first level of commitment. To assure that the current board’s commitment is sustainable as a legacy of leadership and good governance is quite another challenge. This is a particularly acute challenge for public boards.
Yes, Virginia, School Boards Can Operate at the Policy Level
Since 1983 and the release of “A Nation at Risk,” public education has suffered scrutiny, criticism and outright derision unprecedented in American history. Those of us who chose to work in the field of education, either occupationally or by election, were maligned and accused of everything short of criminal activity. The school board has not escaped that fate.
Superintendent Evaluation: A Travesty that Need Not Be
Superintendents shudder to think about them. School boards dread them. Many avoid them, which is worse than dreading them. Nobody looks forward to them.
And it’s no wonder. Most superintendent evaluation “processes” (we use the term loosely) have little or nothing to do with job performance, and usually all to do with whether board members like the superintendent’s style, appearance, or other subjective or amorphous criteria.
Mavericks
“Maverick: An independently minded person who refuses to abide with the dictates of or who resists adherence to a particular group.”
A board is more than a collection of individuals. Every respected authority on the functioning of boards suggests that in order for a board to be effective as an entity entrusted to govern an organization on behalf of its owners, it must act as a single unit. By definition, that means group action rather than individual member action.