The Taking Action Guide for the Governance Core: School Boards, Superintendents, and Schools Working Together

Authors’ Note
About the Authors
Taking Action Guide Overview
How to Use This Guide
Module Content and Learning Processes At a Glance
Module 1: Moral Imperative and the Governance Core
1.1: Quote Share
1.2: Quick Write
1.3: Say Something
1.4: Think-Pair-Share
1.5: The 3-2-1
Governance Core Planning Guide
Personal Reflections
Module 2: Governance Mindset
2.1: Governance Mindset Reflection
2.2: Jigsaw
2.3: What? So What? Now What?
2.4: The 5 R’s: Read, Record, Retell, Relate, and Reflect
2.5: Governance Working Styles
Governance Mindset Progression
Governance Core Planning Guide
Personal Reflections
Module 3: Governing With Coherence
3.1: The 4 Corner Placemat
3.2: S.T.A.R.
3.3: Go to the Wall
Governance Coherence Progression
Governance Core Planning Guide
Personal Reflections
Module 4: Governance Culture
4.1: Developing Governance Principles
4.2: Establishing Governance Norms
4.3: Developing Governance Protocols
Governance Culture Progression
Governance Core Planning Guide
Personal Reflections
Module 5: The Governance Job
5.1: Deep Dive
5.2: Governance Reflection
Governance Job Progression
Governance Core Planning Guide
Personal Reflections
Module 6: Governance Tools
6.1: The 3 P’s: Purpose, Positives, and Plan
Governance Core Planning Guide
Personal Reflections
Module 7: Welcoming New Trustees
7.1: Protocol Planning
7.2: Turn and Talk
Governance Core Planning Guide
Personal Reflections
Module 8: Rising to the Occasion
8.1: The 4 A’s: Assumptions, Agreements, Arguments, and Action
Consolidating the Governance Core Planning Guide
Personal Reflections
Appendix 1: The Board Planning Calendar: What? Why? How? When?
Appendix 2: Board Planning Calendar Governance Tool Worksheet
Resources

Davis Campbell is the former Executive Director of the California School Boards Association and is Chair of the University of California, Davis, School of Education, Board of Advisors and a Senior Fellow. He also serves as a Trustee on the Stuart Foundation Board of Trustees.

Campbell has a deep and broad background in public education. He served for 12 years in the California Department of Education, serving six of those years as Deputy State Superintendent of Public Instruction in charge of all education programs. In 1988, he was appointed Executive Director of the California School Boards Association, serving in that capacity until his retirement in 2001. He also served as an elected trustee on the Yolo County Board of Education.

Campbell maintains an active consulting practice in effective governance in education as well as public and nonprofit agencies at both the state and international level. In California, in addition to trainings and workshops with school districts, most recently he conducted numerous workshops with nonprofit organizations as well as training sessions with cities, counties, and special districts. Campbell¿s international governance work includes board support for the American School of Madrid (15 years), the American School of Barcelona, the American School of Paris, the American Cooperative School, Tunis, Tunisia, the American International School of Egypt, and effective governance workshops in Lisbon, Portugal, and Rome, and Milan, Italy.

Practical resources for building cohesive governance teams

As a supplement to the best-selling The Governance Core, this practical guide will help trustees and superintendents adopt a governance mindset and partnership that creates coherence throughout the district. With a systems thinking approach, the authors provide readers with the strategies and tools needed to build cohesive teams and engage in deeper learning and decision making. The Taking Action Guide for the Governance Core offers readers:  

• a deeper understanding of core governance and how to build it
• a 100-day plan to help new trustees get started
• protocols and sample agendas for focusing on strategy and systems during open board meetings