Board Institutional Memory: The Key to the Longevity of Heads and the Effectiveness of Schools

Target Audience: Heads of School AND Board Chairs, and they must register as a pair.

Dates: September 9, October 28, December 9

Time: 12:00 - 1:30 pm (first hour: presentation and discussion, final 30 minutes: case study of real school scenario)

Cost: $275 per pair for the three-part series
 
Description:
Several factors influence the length of Head tenure, but surprisingly, performance seems not to be a common one. Board Member turnover, Board Chair turnover, and the loss of board institutional memory mean that often, a Head is serving with no or only a few board members who were there when the Head was hired and have no real memory of the Head's accomplishments after five years.
 
Many schools still have two three-year terms for board members and two-year terms for chairs, which undermines the tenure of Heads. Two other significant factors are the absence of strong leadership by the Chair of the Committee on Trustees and a lack of attention to the eight functions of that Committee. If followed, these eight roles help keep the board healthy and stable.
 
This series offers direct and explicit suggestions for extending the tenure of Heads with strong performance and track records.  We will address the key factors above as well as poor Board and Head evaluation protocols and “incidents” that often undermine the willingness or ability of a Head to serve.
 
Session 1, Sept 9:
Committee on Trustees
Board/Board Chair Turnover

Session 2, Oct 28:
The Chair’s Role
Key Chair Characteristics and Traits
How to Best Support Chairs

Session 3, Dec 9: 
Head Evaluation Best Practices (and Not-So-Good Evaluation Practices)
The Impact of Evaluation on Head Tenure