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Illinois School Board Journal
May-June 2000

The power of policy

by Jessica C. Billings

Meet the board of education of the fictional Mid-Illinois District 2001. District 2001 is a consolidated K-12 district that encompasses a mid-sized town of 8,000; two small towns of a few hundred people each, and a large rural area. The board members are Agnes, Bob, Caroline, Dave, Evelyn, Frank, and Grace. They are all dedicated and intelligent board members, not unlike you and your colleagues. Hannah is the district's superintendent.

IASB Policy Services Director Cathy Talbert is, of course, a real person. District 2001, its board and the adventure you are about to read are the co-creation of Talbert and Journal editor Jessica C. Billings.

District 2001 is a good district that faces the usual assortment of issues. Right now, the board is grappling with student achievement, which is mediocre. It's not a disgrace, but not what the board or the community would like to see.

You are invited to join the board as it addresses a policy to help improve student learning. We hope that following this school board through a policy-writing process will increase your understanding of how policy is created and the central role it plays in school board governance. Once you know what the policy does, how it works, following this article is a policy development process checklist of questions that school boards need to ask as they review and develop policy.

"I read about a study showing that children do better in school when parents are involved," says Bob, a member of the District 2001 Board of Education. "I notice we don't have a policy addressing parent involvement."

"Do we need one?" responds fellow board member, Caroline. "I don't think there is any law or regulation requiring it."

The superintendent, Hannah, has provided the board with sample policies from the IASB and the PTA.

"These samples look pretty good," adds Evelyn, the board president. "Let's just adopt one and not waste our time reinventing the wheel."

Attending the District 2001 board meeting is Cathy Talbert, IASB director of policy services.

"Bob is correct that there is no law or regulation requiring a policy on parental involvement," she says. "But that doesn't mean that District 2001 doesn't need one."

"Policy is the school board's most powerful tool for bringing its vision and goals into reality. To its credit, the District 2001 board has recognized that student achievement is a central issue facing the district and is determined to grapple with it head-on.

"Starting with sample policies is a good idea--but the operative word here is 'sample.' This is a policy that needs to be tailor-made for your district," says Talbert.

"What we need is a Web site, with a bulletin board where parents can post comments and e-mail boxes for the administrators and teachers," says Evelyn.

"How many of our families have computers at home? And how much would it cost?" asked Frank. "Maybe we should just beef up the newsletter."

"We don't even know if anyone reads the newsletter," says Dave. "I think we need to hire a full-time community relations director."

"Out of the question," says Frank. "We'd have to fire a teacher to afford it."

"My secretary does a pretty good job with the newsletter," adds Superintendent Hannah. "But I don't think he can take on any additional communications responsibilities. His plate is pretty full now."

Talbert comments: "The board is facing the almost irresistible temptation to move directly to what we call "means"--ways to reach a goal, or an end. These are all good ideas. But deciding how to reach an end is staff work, not board work.

"The board has a much bigger role here. The board's task is to write a policy that describes a goal. The superintendent will be held responsible for achieving that goal. And she and her staff are the ones in a position to decide the best ways to accomplish that."

"By creating a carefully crafted policy, you will have an impact on the education of generations of students to come. By directing the superintendent as to where you want to focus the district's resources, you multiply your effectiveness."

Questions

"Where do we start?" asks Agnes.

"A policy that describes an 'end' or a goal should answer the following questions," Talbert says.

• What benefits do we want to ensure?

• For whom?

• At what cost?

"Well, we know what benefits and for whom," says Agnes. "We want to provide an education that will allow kids to get good jobs or get into good colleges when they graduate."

"Just as importantly," says Bob, "we also want our schools to teach children to be good citizens and good people."

"And don't forget arts and music," says Grace. "There is a lot of research showing that children who learn music, for example, also do well in other subjects."

This is a familiar conversation to the District 2001 board. At a school board self-evaluation retreat, the board members realized that they all considered the welfare of students to be their top priority. They also realized that they have different priorities in terms of specific programs. They agreed that they need to respect each other's priorities and not to get bogged down in arguments about them.

"Let's not get off on that right now. That's not relevant to this policy," says Evelyn. "We're talking about getting parents more involved."

"Why don't we take a look at the IASB sample policy?" suggests Dave. He reads the policy:

In order to assure collaborative relationships between students' families and the school board and district personnel, and to enable parent(s)/guardian(s) to become active partners in education, the superintendent shall develop administrative procedures to:

1) Keep parent(s)/guardian(s) thoroughly informed about their child's school and education.

2) Encourage involvement in their child's school and education.

3) Establish effective two-way communication between all families and the school board and district personnel.

4) Seek input from parent(s)/guardian(s) on significant school-related issues.

5) Inform parents/guardians on how they can assist their children's learning.

The superintendent shall periodically report to the board on the implementation of this policy.

It doesn't seem complete," says Agnes. "What about staff development? And what about access to our buildings? Don't we want to make sure people can visit the buildings?"

"I'm not so sure about that. We don't want just anyone wandering into our schools. Not with all the horrible things that are happening to kids these days," Caroline comments.

"You could add a goal statement that buildings will be accessible by parents and other visitors from the community," Talbert says. "The safety issue might be better addressed in your safety policy and the district's comprehensive safety plan. You can cross-reference this policy to the safety plan.

"You also will need to think about other policies in your manual that should be cross-referenced to this one. One example might be your policy on staff development."

"I'd like to address the 'at what cost' part of the policy," says Frank. "Where are we going to get the money to do all this? We're talking about a whole new program here."

Priorities

"You as a board will decide how important this policy is to you, compared with others you have established," Talbert says. "The spending decisions will, of course, be made later this year, when you vote on a budget. Until the day when schools have all the money they need to offer students everything they would like to offer, school boards will be weighing priorities and making these decisions."

The board discusses the policy and adds:

6) Parents and other visitors from the community will be made welcome in school buildings.

"This looks pretty good to me," says Grace. "Shall we vote on it?"

"What we have here is a generic policy that could apply to just about any school district," says Cathy Talbert. "Are you sure it will meet the needs of your community?"

"We have so many communities," comments Dave.

"Exactly," says Talbert. "And the needs of every one of them must be taken into account. Think of these communities as the owners of the school district--and you are their trustees."

"Also, we only have this one study," says Frank. "We don't even know if it's a valid study. Maybe there are more important issues we should discuss instead. Maybe this isn't where we should be spending our time and the district's money."

The school board decides to table the policy while it does some research. The superintendent is asked to provide research about the importance of parent involvement. The school board also sets up a series of meetings to hear from its owners.

Three months later, the school board is ready to readdress its parent involvement policy.

Board members have studied a packet of information collected by staff, who have searched the Internet and contacted appropriate organizations. They learn that research overwhelmingly shows that parent involvement is a key factor in student achievement. To their surprise, they learn of a study highlighting the importance of involvement by fathers. They also find that involvement of adults other than parents, especially as mentors, helps children succeed.

Other research revealed that many parents are intimidated by the idea of approaching a teacher or entering a school.

The board also learned that:

• there is a small but growing community of immigrants whose first language is not English;

• sixty percent of the homes in the district have a personal computer and Internet access;

• twenty percent of the households in the district exist on incomes well below the poverty level; and

• in many homes just above the poverty level, both parents work full time. In some cases, the parents work more than one job.

At its hearings, the board discovered:

• many parents and non-parents alike don't know how to be involved, and don't know who to ask;

• working schedules make it hard or impossible for many parents to participate in their children's schooling, especially when both parents work;

• after a divorce, non-custodial parents sometimes feel shut out of their children's schooling;

• many people feel their schools are doing a pretty good job, but news media reports and politicians' claims about the deficiencies of public schools are making them wonder if there's something they don't know. Further, many people aren't aware that they can attend school board meetings and can address the board with their concerns. Others know this, but are too intimidated to do so.

"This has been enlightening," says Bob. "I thought I knew this community inside out, but it turns out, I only know a narrow segment of it."

"I didn't realize our communities were changing so quickly," added Agnes. "We need to take a new look at what kinds of jobs these kids will want."

"My daughter Debbie has been concerned about her Sammy's progress in mathematics," says Grace. "She didn't know where to start. I told her to begin with Sammy's teacher, Joe Jekyll. We all know Joe is a fine teacher. But Debbie had to call the school four times, leaving messages at the office, before she could even reach him, and then it was hard to set up an appointment. Debbie and her husband both work long days. Debbie, Paul and Joe ended up meeting at McDonald's, talking over coffee. I never realized that the school isn't available to teachers for after-hours meetings with parents. It should be. And shouldn't teachers have telephones?"

"Even during the day, people don't feel comfortable going to the schools. Those signs in all the schools saying 'all visitors must report to the office' really bother some people. And then there are no directions to the office. That's a problem at the high school and middle school, where the offices aren't easy to find. We need signs to direct them. And all the signs need to be more friendly. Maybe if they said something like, 'Help keep our children safe. Please check in at the office and receive a pass,'" says Agnes.

"That's a good idea," says Caroline. "Everybody can understand that we have to keep the kids safe."

Large view

"Okay," says Talbert. "Those are all good ideas. I'm sure Superintendent Hannah has taken note of them. If you like, she can develop an administrative procedure to implement the policy. But these ideas don't belong in a policy discussion. We need to get back to the business of the school board: drafting a policy statement that will guide the staff in developing programs--but not hamstring them by prescribing specific activities."

"Why?" asks Agnes. "We were elected to run these schools. And now you're telling us we shouldn't."

"You were elected to govern these schools," Talbert says. "There is a difference. The policy you create should be a clear statement of your goal. Your specific goal with this policy is to increase parent involvement. We call that an 'ends' policy: it describes the ends, or outcome, that you want. But it should not prescribe specific programs. The board is not in the best position to tell the staff how to achieve board goals.

"By creating this policy, you are stating that you will hold the superintendent responsible for achieving this outcome, Talbert says. "The superintendent, in turn, will hold staff members responsible for achieving their assigned tasks in creating this outcome. They will have the leeway to do that as effectively as possible."

"I see," says Bob. "As a board, we need to take a large view. And we need to address many, many issues. If we got involved in the specifics of each issue and how they are carried out, we would be working more than full time."

"Yes, I see that," says Grace. "But I do enjoy hands-on involvement. What about my work with the chorus? Are you saying I can't do that?"

"You can continue to work with the chorus," Talbert says. "You can volunteer wherever you wish, but when you do, you need to wear a different hat--your 'volunteer' hat. And when you are working as a volunteer, you must remember that you are subject to the direction of the superintendent and designated staff members, just like other volunteers."

The board returns to the policy.

"What about this research that shows the value of including other adults in the process?" says Agnes. "I think we should expand this policy to include all citizens."

"You might be better off with a separate policy covering citizen involvement," Talbert says. "The more focused a policy is, the easier it is to monitor and evaluate. The process you use and what you learn from developing this policy will enable you to create a citizen involvement policy, or any other policy you wish."

"And should we specify that both parents should be included? Fathers and non-custodial parents as well?" Frank suggests. The board agrees to specify that "all" parents and guardians should be included.

Customizing

The board continues its discussion and eventually drafts the following policy:

In order to assure collaborative relationships between students' families and the school board and district personnel, and to enable parent(s)/guardian(s) to become active partners in education, the superintendent shall develop administrative procedures to:

1) Keep all parents or guardians thoroughly informed about their child's school and education.

2) Encourage involvement in their child's school and education.

3) Establish effective two-way communication between all families and the school board and district personnel, which accommodates families whose first language is not English.

4) Seek input from parents and guardians on significant school-related issues.

5) Inform all parents and guardians on how they can assist their children's learning.

6) Create a climate in school buildings that welcomes parents and other visitors.

7) Ensure that teachers are accessible to all parents.

The superintendent shall periodically report to the board on the implementation of this policy.

"I wondered about volunteers," says Caroline. "Should we have something addressing parent volunteers? Or is that a separate policy?"

"You're catching on," says Talbert.

"Is there consensus on this wording?" asks Evelyn. The board agrees that there is.

"Do we need to have the attorney read it?" Frank asks. "Since there are no legal requirements for a parent involvement policy?"

"I'd recommend that you do," Talbert says. "Even though there are no legal requirements involved, there may be collective bargaining issues and other legal implications."

"I'd like to give people a chance to comment on the final policy," says Dave. "I've learned not to take the community for granted."

"Your next step is to put the policy on the agenda for a first reading," Talbert says. "When you send out notice of the meeting, announce that comments will be heard on a proposed new parent involvement policy. This gives the public and school staff an opportunity for additional input. After that, you can make any revisions you decide are necessary and put the policy on the agenda for a second reading. That's when you vote on whether to adopt it."

"Then what?" asks Bob. "The superintendent starts to work on a plan to make it happen?"

"Yes, but first you need to communicate the policy to everyone involved. Have copies made, distribute it, and make sure it is added to all copies of the board policy manual, including the one on your Web page."

"This seems like a lot of work for a single policy that's less than a page long," comments Agnes.

"It isn't when you consider how important a policy is," says Talbert. "The policies you adopt have the force of law within your district. They are the basis for evaluating staff work, for governing student behavior, and much more. They keep the district moving toward the vision you and your community hold for your schools."

"What policy shall we tackle next?" asks Frank.

A policy development process checklist

Following is a checklist of questions that school boards need to ask as they review and develop policy.

What is the issue before the board?

Is it board work?

Does it require written board policy?

Do we have existing policy on this issue?

• is it current or does it need to be updated?

• how is the existing policy being implemented?

• are any administrative procedures consistent with board policy?

• is practice consistent with policy?

• is the implementation a reasonable interpretation of policy?

Do we need to develop a new policy? Review or clarify existing policy?

Should we spend more board time on this issue or should it be expedited to our consent agenda?

• is this a core governance issue?

• is it a mandated policy change?

• is it something the law requires for a board policy manual, but can be developed most effectively by the administration?

What does our community think about this issue?

Who will be impacted by this policy? What is their input?

Are there collective bargaining implications?

What are the legal requirements for policy and content?

Does the IASB have a sample policy?

What options are available to the board in addressing this issue?

What research is available on this subject?

If the policy contains ends or goal statements, how will we know when we reach the goal?

What will it look like? Is it measurable? What data will we need to measure progress?

How will the board monitor compliance with this policy?

Do we have a draft that is a clear, concise statement of our intent?

Is it consistent with other board policies?

Are there other related policies which should be cross-referenced or reviewed?

Has our attorney reviewed the draft policy?

Are we ready to place this policy on our agenda for a first reading, second reading, and adoption?

Have we communicated the new or revised policy to all who may be affected?

Have copies been distributed to everyone with a copy of the board policy manual?