Leadership and School Boards

Guarding the Trust in an Era of Community Engagement

By (author) Laura E. Reimer Foreword by John F. Wiens

Publication date:

08 October 2015

Length of book:

168 pages

Publisher

Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

ISBN-13: 9781475815061

School boards shape society through systems of education. They choose who leads the system and how educators are selected to lead classrooms. They approve the allocation of millions of dollars every year. As leaders, the school board determines how their community defines the values, resources, and belief systems that together form the democratic mosaic of our times. Embedded within this knowledge are timeless foundations that have carried us from the origins of school boards to our current systems; these are the keys to community engagement, and these are the keys to empowered and strong school systems.

This book is about the remarkable and unique purpose of school boards. It is not a book about abolition, or drastic reform. It explains clearly that school boards were established as part of the foundation for a strong democratic society and encourages everyone involved with school systems to guard that foundation. School boards embody the most immediate principles of democracy. This is an exciting book, appropriate for our times, focused on the powerful leadership necessary in the school board, and the potential to deliver ever-improving results through consistent and deliberate governance.

Preface to the Second Edition
How to Use this Book
Chapter 1. Local Democracy: Overview of the School Board Contribution
Chapter 2. Complex Arena of Democracy: Influences on the School Board
Chapter 3. Community Democracy: The Power of Engagement
Chapter 4. Governing Democracy: The Politics of Education Chapter 5. Democratic Leadership: Board Chair as First Among Equals
Chapter 6. Active Democracy: The Collective Strength of School Board Members
Chapter 7. Ensuring Democracy: The Answerability of School Boards
Chapter 8. Encouraging Democracy: Carefully Designed Culture
Chapter 9. Modeling Democracy: Leadership in Action
Chapter 10. Administering Democracy: The Superintendent and CEO
Conclusion. Leading democracy: The Governing School Board Bibliography
About the Author

Reimer effectively identifies key concepts that apply to all types of school communities. From a superintendent’s perspective, I see this book being applicable in multiple ways. It could be used for personal reflection on the daily challenges of leading a school district. It also would be a great resource to use with school boards to help guide discussions and future planning.