Video number five featured a group panel featuring Anne L. Bryant (who is the executive board director of the National School Boards Administration), Gene I. Maeroff (who has written many books on the field of education, especially in America), Christopher S. Barclay (who is the president of the school board in Montgomery, Alabama), and Chester E. Finn, Jr. (who is the president of the Thomas B. Fordham foundation which sponsored this particular discussion) that focused on the importance and necessity of local school boards. Each member of this group panel was given eight minutes to discuss their particular views on the importance and the necessity of school boards in American education. Anne Bryant and Christopher Barclay, in particular,
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I found that there are eight characteristics that are fairly comprehensively agreed upon that define what makes a school board effective. These characteristics include the following: setting high expectations for student achievement and coming up with a plan to meet these expectations, sharing a set of common beliefs and values among all board members, driving all actions by high levels of accountability, establishing a good relationship with all members of the collective school district, driving all decision by data, aligning resources in the most beneficial way toward students education, establishing a good working relationship with the superintendent, and emphasizing team building exercises to strengthen relationships both inside and outside of the school district (“Eight characteristics of effective school boards: At a glance.”). However, after looking at all of these characteristics, I had a realization. The reason that some school boards are effective is that all eight of these qualities coexist with each other. It is the harmony of all eight of these qualities that truly make school boards effective in providing for the education of all students. It only takes one of these characteristics to be absent in the atmosphere of the school board in order to make the school board …show more content…
She teaches at a school district where the relationships between the administrators and the teachers in the school district is so unfriendly that almost every single teacher belongs to a teachers union in order to protect their assets and beliefs from being overpowered by the school board. Another lacking characteristic present in the school board of this district is allowing other factors to make educational decisions. Many members of the school board belong to a union or a principals union (or another union of some sort). Often times, I have heard of some particular members who are very unwilling to hear the thoughts of others because they are convinced that their beliefs are the only solution. In conclusion, school boards are extremely important to the functionality of effectively educating all students in the United States in my opinion. School boards deal with many functions from managing a budget to all the schools in a district to electing a superintendent. However, many things need to be present in order to have an effective school board and thus creating an atmosphere where all children have the ability to get the best education possible. I hope that we (as future teachers) will be able to contribute to school board meetings so that our students may benefit in the long
I found that there are eight characteristics that are fairly comprehensively agreed upon that define what makes a school board effective. These characteristics include the following: setting high expectations for student achievement and coming up with a plan to meet these expectations, sharing a set of common beliefs and values among all board members, driving all actions by high levels of accountability, establishing a good relationship with all members of the collective school district, driving all decision by data, aligning resources in the most beneficial way toward students education, establishing a good working relationship with the superintendent, and emphasizing team building exercises to strengthen relationships both inside and outside of the school district (“Eight characteristics of effective school boards: At a glance.”). However, after looking at all of these characteristics, I had a realization. The reason that some school boards are effective is that all eight of these qualities coexist with each other. It is the harmony of all eight of these qualities that truly make school boards effective in providing for the education of all students. It only takes one of these characteristics to be absent in the atmosphere of the school board in order to make the school board …show more content…
She teaches at a school district where the relationships between the administrators and the teachers in the school district is so unfriendly that almost every single teacher belongs to a teachers union in order to protect their assets and beliefs from being overpowered by the school board. Another lacking characteristic present in the school board of this district is allowing other factors to make educational decisions. Many members of the school board belong to a union or a principals union (or another union of some sort). Often times, I have heard of some particular members who are very unwilling to hear the thoughts of others because they are convinced that their beliefs are the only solution. In conclusion, school boards are extremely important to the functionality of effectively educating all students in the United States in my opinion. School boards deal with many functions from managing a budget to all the schools in a district to electing a superintendent. However, many things need to be present in order to have an effective school board and thus creating an atmosphere where all children have the ability to get the best education possible. I hope that we (as future teachers) will be able to contribute to school board meetings so that our students may benefit in the long