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Illinois School Board Journal
July/August 2005

Successful districts make learning 'Job One'

by Andrew Lachman

Andrew Lachman is the executive director of the Connecticut Center for School Change, a not-for-profit organization that consults with school districts to improve student outcomes. His article first appeared in the April 2005 issue of The Journal, published by the Connecticut Association of Boards of Education, and is reprinted with permission.

Congratulations (or perhaps condolences) to all of you who are serving as school board members. You've accepted the challenging job of governance of a public enterprise — your local school system — when we expect more of schools than at any other time in our nation's history. Accountability demands are increasing, resources are limited, and public institutions and elected officials are no longer held in high esteem. Obviously, only the lucrative stock options and limited hours could induce you to take on this critical role.

Your task is daunting. While there are numerous examples of high-performing schools, there are few examples of high-performing districts that have successfully taken instructional improvement to scale. What can we learn from districts that succeed with all students, districts that successfully increase student achievement for all and at the same time narrow the achievement gap?

Researchers point to several characteristics. The districts treat teaching and learning as "Job One." They have high expectations for every student and a college prep curriculum for all. They demand rigor from everyone: principals, teachers and students. They provide extra time — after school, on weekends and over the summer — and extra support for students who need additional instructional help. And, most importantly, they recognize that good teaching matters more than anything else.

As executive director of a not-for-profit organization that is working with school districts on leadership development and instructional improvement, as a former school district administrator and as the husband of a former school board member, I offer six strategies that may help you and your colleagues deliver improved student achievement:

Keep your eye on the prize.

The primary purpose of your school system is the education of children. Review your board agendas and make sure they are focused on the improvement of teaching and learning. If you're not working on the issue of student achievement, you're wasting time, energy and intellectual capital. Concentrate on the core business of public education: the interactions between teachers, students and curriculum.

Use a wide-angle lens.

While you may have been elected from a neighborhood or motivated to run because of a single issue, you are responsible for improvement in all of the district's schools. Step back and take a more comprehensive and systemic approach to problem solving. As the parable suggests, if there are lots of cats drowning in the river, instead of trying to rescue them one by one, walk upstream to stop whoever is throwing them in the water.

Pursue policy; avoid administration.

Boards are responsible for goal setting, planning, adopting a budget, engaging the community, developing policy, evaluating the superintendent and ensuring oversight. Your superintendent is responsible for carrying out policies. The superintendent must have the authority to be the district's educational leader and chief executive officer.

Ensure your superintendent is empowered to recruit, hire, supervise, reward and terminate personnel within the scope of the district's personnel policies and labor union agreements. Hold the superintendent accountable for improved student achievement, but make sure your superintendent has the tools and the people who can deliver the goods.

Collaborate.

Professor Tony Bryk's research on Chicago Public Schools found that the "secret sauce" in schools that successfully increased student achievement was relational trust. High-performing schools had effective working relationships between administrators and teachers. The same principle applies to district governance. The board and superintendent must work together in an atmosphere of mutual trust and respect. A good working relationship characterized by "professionalism, honesty and integrity" is essential for a high-performing district.

Keep on keeping on.

Make mid-course corrections but don't reverse direction. There are no quick fixes in education and improvement takes time. If best practices and research support an improvement strategy, make sure your district persists and provides the resources and time for the effort to succeed. If you are always flip-flopping, you'll never make progress.

Model good behavior.

In the age of Enron, government scandals and Jerry Springer, how you conduct business — especially if your meetings are taped and broadcast — sets a standard and sends a message. If you want staff and students to use data for decision making, to conduct themselves appropriately in relationship to others, and to act responsibly and ethically, then show them how it's done.

Being a school board member is no easy job. The hours are long, the pay is lousy and the public vilification can be personally debilitating. When my wife was in public office, I gave her a copy of the New Yorker cartoon quoting Joan of Arc at the stake: "It's things like this that keep good people out of public life."

Despite all the negatives, public education is what has made our country great, and I salute you for giving your time, talent and energy to make the schools in your community better. Working collaboratively with your superintendent to focus on instruction, you can ensure excellence and equity for all the students in your community.

Good Luck!