Making the Connection: Ethical Governance and Student Success

1. Making the Connection: Ethical Governance and Student Success Manitoba School Boards Association Trustee Development Nov. 2012

2. Outcomes for our Day: Stronger understanding of: • the link between board of trustee priorities and student achievement and well-being; • governance as a collective leadership act; • the strengths each trustee brings to the table; • the critical role played by the board’s Superintendent.

3. Trustees will explore • Key functions and responsibilities of school boards • The components of ethical leadership • The multiple facets of their role as leaders • Effective school board governance principles • The match between board decision-making and best practice in governance • The link between effective governance and student achievement

4. Breaking the Ice

5. Leaving a Legacy My friends, love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we’ll change the world. All my very best, Jack Layton August 20, 2011

6. The Legacy of Leadership “The very essence of leadership is that you have to have vision. It’s got to be a vision you articulate clearly and forcefully on every occasion. You can’t blow an uncertain trumpet.” T.Hesburgh

7. Leaving a Legacy • Identify 2 contributions you have made as a Board of School Trustees duringyourterm. • What do youhopewillbemoststrikinglydifferent about yourboard in 5 years? • Whatis the biggest gap betweenwhat the organization claims itis and whatitactuallyis?

8. Moral Purpose Setting the conditions that will provide a high quality education for every student to succeed in school and in life is the absolute first priority of a school board.

9. An Effective School Board: • knows why it exists and what difference it hopes to make in the community; • functions as a team; • makes informed decisions; • strives for excellent communications with its constituents; • has a clear sense of the difference between its role and that of the Superintendent; • understands the distinction between policy development and implementation;

10. An Effective School Board:(continued) • is accountable for its performance; • holds the Superintendent accountable for effectively implementing the policies of the board; • monitors the effectiveness of policies and implementation plans; • ensures that local, provincial and federal politicians understand local issues and needs.

11. All too often, school board members are like firefighters on the ground, battling the flames when they should be in a helicopter above the fire, able to see how extensive the blaze is, which way the wind is blowing, and where the resources need to be deployed. • Anonymous

12. Ethical Leadership • Ethics: The decisions, choices and actions we make that reflect and enact our values. • Ethical Decision-Making: Understanding the impact this action or decision will have on others or my relationship with them. • Ethical leadership: Knowing your core values and having the courage to live them in service of the common good.

13. Ethical Leadership • A reflection of how we respect and nurture relationships for the common good. • “I” to “We”? • the successful work of the board far exceeds what can be accomplished by any single member of the board acting alone.

14. Reflection: All Means All • Think of an example of ethical decision-making in your board-one that reflects the values of a public school system. • How do your values contribute to the board’s higher moral purpose?

15. The Importance of Vision "If you want to build a ship, don’t herd people together to collect wood and don’t assign them tasks and work, but rather teach them to long for the endless immensity of the sea.” • Antoine de Saint-Exupery

16. Start With Why - Simon Sinek “Very few people or companies can clearly articulate WHY they do WHAT they do. By WHY, I mean what is your purpose, cause or belief? WHY does your company exist? WHY do you get out of bed every morning? And WHY should anyone care”.

17. The Stone Mason’s Story

18. How does your sense of purpose inspire people to send their children to your schools?

19. When a WHY goes fuzzy, it becomes more difficult to maintain the growth, loyalty and inspiration that helped drive the original success.”

20. Clarity of Why You have to know WHY you do WHAT you do. If people don’t buy WHAT you do, they buy WHY you do it, so it follows that if you don’t know WHY you do WHAT you do, how will anyone else?”

21. The Discipline of How “ The Discipline to never veer from your cause, to hold yourself accountable for HOW you do things is the hardest part. That’s why we write our values on the wall…as nouns.”

22. Consistency of What Everything you say and do has to prove what you believe.

23. “An organization with a single common purpose that is aligned with its key stakeholder groups will have the greatest opportunity for success.” www.ffpo.org/FourConditions.htm

24. Governance Defined • Governance is the process by which a school board makes its decisions • It is the exercise of authority, direction and control on behalf of the students it serves and its community. • A governance model/structure defines the roles, relationships and behavioral parameters for the board and its staff.

25. How Boards Perform Core Functions Will Vary • School Boards are constituency based • School Districts can be very different • Size, geography and rate of change • Demographicsand language • Local needs of children and families • Deciding how to go about performing Core Functions requires thought and dialogue about unique context • No one ideal model !

26. Four Pillars of Governance • Leadership: • Setting the long-term strategic direction and empowering management • Stewardship: • Shepherding resources belonging to others • Responsibility: • Evaluating organizational performance and holding management accountable • Accountability: • Reporting to stakeholders

27. Governance Responsibilities Central to Student Achievement • Setting the Vision • Establishing Goals • Developing Policy • Allocating Resources • Assuring Accountability

28. Authentic Governance through Ethical Leadership: Education that Connects

29. Core functions of a Board • Covering the Basics: The Board’s Fiduciary Role • Big Picture Thinking: The Board’s Strategic Role • Continuous Improvement: The Board’s Innovative Role • Promoting Community Engagement: The Board’s Societal Role

30. THE BOARD’S FIDUCIARY ROLE • Protect the interests, image and credibility of the board, to ensure its financial viability, and to act in accordance with all applicable laws, regulations and policies.

31. By constructing your role only around the fiduciary work of oversight, board members are put in a position similar to being a substitute teacher

32. Strategic Reflection • What do we hold in trust and for whom? • How do we move from fiduciary oversight to fiduciary inquiry? • What are our major vulnerabilities? • What are we doing as a board and as an organization to address them?

33. THE BOARD’S STRATEGIC ROLE • Vision and purposeful planning to ensure that the “Goals” of the organization reflect the aspirations of learners to succeed and the needs of the broader community to have confidence in the institution.

34. Strategic Reflection • Do the agendas of our board meetings reflect our mission and our stated strategic priorities?

35. THE BOARD’S GENERATIVE ROLE This board has: • meaningful discussions outside of the regulated format of the boardroom; • a climate accepting of robust, divergent discussions; • clarity about values, beliefs, goals and priorities; • a climate characterized by continuous self-evaluation.

36. Generative Reflections • To what extent is the board agenda dominated by routine items? • Does the board purposefully seek out best practices? • Does the board foster a climate of “collaborative competition”? • Is every individual’s contribution valued?

37. THE BOARD’S CO-CREATIVE ROLE This board demonstrates commitment to collaboration, cooperation and ethics: among board members within the community

38. Boards: Multiple Views • Boards are more complex thanthelegal and strategic views might suggest • They are Teams • They are Political Contexts • They are Learning Systems • They are the Guardians of Moral Purpose

39. Boards are Teams • Teams have norms or taken-for-granted ways of doing things that impact norms and roles • Norms impact: • Communication • Conflict • Leadership • Inclusion and Diversity • Decision Making

40. Effective Teams/Boards • Talk about team dynamics & norms • Have processes for managing conflict • Are sensitive to diversity and workto be inclusive • Have a Chair who can manage group process and make sure everyone can participate

41. Boards as Political Contexts • Different interests can lead to conflictand forming of coalitions • Elected Trustees who have constituents “My Schools” or “My Principals” • Trustees have more or less personal influence • Stakeholders demand to be engaged • Government has great influence over activities – Trustees can feel powerless

42. Constructive Politics • Trustees know which hat they are wearing (Campaigner for Re-election, Championof the Mission, Advocate for Change) • Policies to create shared understandings • Conflict of Interest and Codes of Conduct • Roles of Superintendent, Chair and the Board clear • Common vision to transcend different interests

43. Boards as Learning Systems • Boards must keep adapting to change • Regulations and governmentpolicies keep changing • Expectations of the variouspublics keep increasing • Global trends impact local activities

44. Practices to Enhance Learning • Annual Board self assessment • Annual performance evaluationof Superintendent • Bringing in consultants as neededto help with governance practices • On-going education • Commitment to self awareness • Strategic planning retreats • Listening and dialogue processes

45. Boards as the Guardiansof Moral Purpose • Moral purpose is most powerful when it is embedded in every strategy and action ina way that reminds us every day that what we are doing is important for individuals and for the collective or common good • It has transformative potential • It involves questions of values and ethics

46. Boards that areEffective Guardians • Set time to talk about mission,values and vision • Understand that a shared vision can help unify action and create shared purpose • Know the differences between espoused values and values in action – do we“Walk the Talk”?

47. Aligning all the Roles • Strong link between student success and effective governance • How do we keep the main thing the main thing? • The principle of “Alignment”

48. Reflection: Putting it all Together What hinders Boards from being as successful as possible? What 2 actions could you take as a board of trustees to enhance your board’s governance in all 4 areas?

49. How Organizations Strangle Themselves • Weak leadership • Fuzzy focus • Competing divisions • Divisive internal politics • Lack of trust • Rampant personal agendas

50. In a Nutshell…. • The Board’s job is to PROTECT and DIRECT. • To do so the board must CONNECT, EXPECT and CORRECT. The Imperfect Board Member Jim Brown