What a privilege to join, by phone, the continuous improvement conversation at last night's South Conejos board meeting.
The new governing team has already advanced its policy leadership by seeking an audit by CASB's crack policy team. Systems leadership is connected to CADI and TDIP assessments and supports (acronym alert: Colorado Appraisal for District Improvement and Targeted District Improvement Partnership). Team leadership is evolving through getting-to-know-each-other conversations, all-team commitments to learn at the upcoming "Big Convening" and an effectiveness benchmarking survey.
Topics in the conversation:
- Mentoring
- Sharing what you learn about effective governing with fellow citizens
- Leading within the new era of board work (accountability, standards, achievement, teacher/principal effectiveness, Colorado's complex and long-term funding crisis...)
- Developing peer-to-peer learning inside the team and with neighboring boards
- Being a big-picture, grounded-in-realities group of mature adults
- Leading as a group/team through policy
- Focusing on the unique role of governing
- Appraising effectiveness of both board and superintendent throughout the year
- Aligning board time to what is most important
- Accessing the CASB network for its wealth of policy, legal, engagement, advocacy and leadership development opportunities
