Customized Board and Leadership Team Training, Facilitation, Consultation and Advice

A School Board Member holds the most important elected position in the country. Let OSBA help you do your best in service to the students of your district.

OSBA offers school board members the best and most up-to-date training in....

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• Roles and Responsibilities
  • The three "R's": Roles, Responsibilities, and Relationships. Who does what and why? What are the usual pitfalls, and how can you and your board avoid them? Chain of command, Policy Governance, Board/Superintendent/Community relationships, Teamwork, and forming a roadmap to great. 
• Governance
•  A look at the historical role and recent developments for school boards as they face the challenges of the 21st century. What is your board doing to rise above the day to day decisions and focus on leadership for student achievement - and how can it do more? How can you involve your community without giving up all of your personal time and complicating your board member perspective? 
• Running Effective Meetings
•  Focus on developing group guidelines, planning an agenda, and problem-solving within meetings. There will also be a discussion on how the board's culture and group dynamics can impact the effectiveness of a meeting. 
• Role of the Chair
•  A review of the role of the board chair and techniques such as agenda development, improving facilitation, problem-solving, and presiding at meetings.
• Superintendent/President Evaluation
•  A step by step walk through OSBA's Superintendent Evaluation program and workbook. Includes a copy of the OSBA Superintendent Evaluation workbook for each participant.
• Public Meetings and Public Records Law
•  An overview of the do's and don'ts of public meetings, minutes and executive sessions with examples and Q and A. The letter of the law or the court of public opinion? How to stay out of hot water, even if it might be legal. Hot topics and recent developments. How to handle e-mail and electronic meetings.
• Ethics
•  A framework for understanding the scope and content of various regulations affecting school board behavior; a review of government ethical standards; and selected case studies to allow application of the basic principles. 
• Parliamentary Procedure
•  Knowledge of basic parliamentary procedure prepares members of any organization to be more effective when participating in business meetings. Robert's Rules of Order provides perhaps the best summary of the broad benefit of parliamentary law to organizations. Learn how to apply Robert's Rules effectively. 
• Community Engagement
•  How to work with parents, the public, and partner organizations to build understanding and active involvement in education, thereby increasing resources for academic achievement, reducing dropout, and improving student behavior. 
• Board Self Evaluation
•  Does your board want to improve their functioning, teamwork and relationships with each other, the community, and administration? This workshop is a great kick-off for team building. Take a written survey and mail it back to OSBA for evaluation. OSBA will facilitate a workshop presenting the results and leading discussion on ways to increase board and leadership team effectiveness. 
• Goal Setting and Strategic Planning
•  From mission statement to working strategies, how to focus on the beliefs and set the direction of your school district. Overview why we set goals, the steps in goal setting, what does a good goal "look" like, implementation strategies, relating goals throughout the year, tying goals to superintendent and staff evaluations, and community engagement. 
• Team Building
•  This interactive workshop allows participants to examine the stages of team development, learn the key skills involved in building successful teams, and experience the application of effective teamwork.
• Conflict Management
•  Diagnosing sources of conflict, identifying appropriate conflict styles to use, and strategies for resolving conflicts. Workshops methods include skill practices, case exercises, video, and a self-assessment.
• Handling Difficult Conversations
  •  How to handle a highly charged, high-risk conversation without arguing or resorting to just "being nice". How to approach a topic about negative behaviors, skill deficits, attitude issues, or interpersonal conflict. Move from a destructive and frustrating interchange to a "learning conversation". 
• Leadership Skills
  •  Learn the theory and practice of effective leadership. Advance your knowledge of various leadership styles and the impact of each style on those affected.

Let us help you design and facilitate a school board or leadership team training retreat. Custom design your topics and time with OSBA.

Do you need a facilitator or focus group leader for a community based committee or board meeting, for one meeting or a series of meetings? Let OSBA provide an objective outside facilitator to guide the process from planning to completion.

Leadership - Getting Things Done!

This training is available to you in your home district. Board specific training provides for....

• Focus on Particular Issues
• Choice of Program
• Scheduling to meet the needs of your board members and administrators
• Team Building

For more details and a workshop plan for your district contact OSBA Leadership Services Staff