OSBA Bridges to Achievement Project

from OSBA's Focus on Critical Issues, Winter 2006

Even if your district is not part of the Bridges to Achievement project, you can get the ball rolling toward board-governance improvements.

Take time to understand and involve the community. Decipher underlying values and beliefs so that you’ll be working with - not reacting to - your community.
Avoid being data rich and information poor. Learn to interpret the mounds of data available to analyze student achievement in your district.
Let your community know you’re working to improve board governance and community involvement.
Read and discuss items on the resource list. Start with the Iowa Lighthouse Study, Beyond Islands of Excellence, Good to Great, and Five Dysfunctions of a Team.
Take full advantage of resources already available to you; find ways to partner with neighboring school districts, community colleges, ESDs and local governments.
Take time to discuss how your board functions and re-energize your team to find new ways of working together at maximum effectiveness.
Celebrate your successes. OSBA can help you arrange community-engagement activities, provide board self-evaluations, conduct communications audits, present board training workshops, and facilitate planning and goal-setting.