Charter School Governing board members are tasked with making critical decisions that impact the school’s mission, financial health, and overall academic success. To fulfill these responsibilities effectively, professional development for board members is essential. Through effective professional development, board members are able to enhance their governance skills, foster collaboration and communication as well as keep up with educational trends. To maximize the effectiveness of professional development for charter school governing board members, it's essential to systematically identify areas for growth. The following are steps a board can take to assess their needs and prioritize their development:
- Conduct a Self-Assessment: Board members can start with a self assessment to evaluate their current skill, knowledge and effectiveness. In order to gather data that can drive the decision making, board members can complete a survey or questionnaire. It can be helpful to also have board members develop an individual reflection of their own experiences and identify areas where they feel less confident or knowledgeable.
- Gather Feedback from Stakeholders: Accessing input from various stakeholders provides an outside perspective into the board’s performance. The board can gather stakeholder feedback through surveys that elicit feedback from parents, teachers, administrators and community members.
- Analyze Meeting Minutes and Decisions: Board members should review past meetings and decisions. This can often reveal patterns in governance such as recurring challenges. Through reviewing previous minutes, the board may notice that they may regularly struggle with budget management or strategic planning. Through identifying these areas of struggle, the board can determine key areas to focus on professional development.
Once areas for growth have been identified, the board should create a targeted professional development plan. The plan should include prioritized topics to address the most critical areas of training needed. Then it is important to set clear measurable goals for each area of focus. Lastly, the board should implement the progressional growth plan that includes regular workshops and training sessions to address areas for growth. FCI support provides several resources that boards can access for support including webinars, courses, and the Governance Conference sessions. In addition, FCI Support also provides governance workshops tailored to the needs of each governing board. Please visit https://flcharterinstitute.org/governance-board-program/ to access and learn more about these valuable resources.
Professional development for charter school governing board members is not merely a beneficial addition; it is a necessity. This proactive approach not only enhances the effectiveness of board members but also contributes to the overall success of the charter school, fostering an environment of continuous improvement and accountability.