Naked in the Public Eye: Talking With Superintendent/Author Oliver Robinson
If you’d like to know how Superintendent Oliver Robinson came up with the intriguing title “Naked in the Public Eye” for his new book, listen to the podcast Oliver and I recorded last week for this blog.
Naked in the …
Involving Students in District Governance at Leyden High School District 212
Self-appointing nonprofit boards that fill their own seats (for example, chambers of commerce, economic development corporations, private colleges, and social service providers) have over my quarter-century in the nonprofit/public leadership arena by design become steadily more diverse and representative. The …
It’s Never Been Easier To Publish Your Own Book, So Go For It!
“Have you thought about publishing your own books?” No I hadn’t, and, to be honest, the question took me aback when I heard it a decade ago. I was chatting with a long-time colleague, Tom Berger, about the new book …
The Demand Side of Succession Planning: Ripe for Board Involvement
What a great week it’s been! I was privileged to spend four hours Tuesday morning in Nashville, presenting a workshop (“The Board-Savvy Superintendent”) for – and interacting with – participants in AASA’s National Superintendent Certification Program. I can’t recall having …
Demonstrating Your Board Savvyness
Experience has taught me – and I’m sure many if not most of this blog’s readers – that the more board-savvy its superintendent, the more effective a school board is likely to be as a governing body and the more …
Policies Transform Culture in the Ithaca (New York) City Schools
Wearing my governance consultant hat, I’ve read through hundreds of board policy manuals over the years, and I have to say that they don’t make for scintillating reading. After all, policies are essentially rules that govern your district’s academic and …
David Schuler and Helen Morris on AASA’s Aspiring Superintendents Academy
In my experience, brand new superintendents often travel a pretty rocky – and often perilous – road during their first year or two in the top spot in their district, primarily because they haven’t acquired the knowledge and skills required …
Time to Update and Fine-Tune Your Superintendent Leadership Resolutions
There’s wide agreement in the K-12 sector that one of the preeminent vehicles for building and maintaining a close, productive, and enduring board-superintendent working relationship is a well-designed and meticulously executed process for board evaluation of superintendent performance. Superintendent …
How Ironic!
Over the years, I’ve been privileged to present a number of governance keynotes and workshops at AASA, NSBA, and state K-12 association meetings. As is my custom, at the beginning of each program, I’ve typically asked for a show of …
Don’t Let Fear Become an Insidious Foe of Board-Superintendent Collaboration
Several months ago I listened to a four-CD program by an American Buddhist nun, Pema Chodron. Titled “Smile at Fear,” the program, which was recorded at one of her retreats, counsels, among other things, that the process of surmounting fear …
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