School Improvement: 10 Questions for Leader Reflection

Dan Beerens
Director of Instructional Improvement, Christian Schools International
Click here to read the original post on the Nurturing Faith blog.

Through my work with schools via accreditation and school improvement visits, I often come away impressed by how much individuals can make a difference in the decision making process and how much one individual can impact the direction of an organization.

This is undoubtedly one of the more difficult times of testing in the history of Christian education. So, how does a leader keep an organization from retreating into just thinking about budgets, enrollments, and marketing?  May I suggest 10 questions for reflection and discussion?

1. Is your mission strong, understood by faculty and parents, and actionable? How do you know you are meeting it?
2. Do your teachers know how to articulate a Biblical perspective at the unit level?
3. Does your entire staff model and develop Christlike relationships with students and parents?
4. Do your staff development and teacher evaluation processes reflect a balance between grace and truth, between helping people grow and holding them accountable? Do you regularly encourage your teachers?
5. Do your budget choices keep teaching and learning in the forefront and are funds administered justly?
6. Are you reaching out to, and impacting, your local community where God has placed your school?
7. Are you asking students, teachers, parents, alumni, and broader community if you are meeting the mission of your school?
8. Are you encouraging teachers to collaborate, share ideas, and are you providing  opportunities (time) for them to discuss and improve their practice?
9. As a leader are you building capacity into, and developing the skills of, the next generation of those who can lead our schools?
10. Are you committing to a process of improvement such as accreditation?

You're Fired! I Quit!

Originally posted on The Christian School Journal
Dr. Barrett Mosbacker, Briarwood Chrisitan Schools (Birmingham, AL)

How to Avoid Horror Stories in Board and Administrator Relationships

I don’t like horror films.  I find nothing redeeming about them and I don’t like leaving a movie theater feeling worse for the experience. Therefore, I don’t watch horror films.


But there is no escape—the horror stories still manage to find me.  I frequently receive calls and emails from frustrated board members, administrators, and pastors concerning alleged bad governance and inappropriate interference by the school board or the alleged ineptness of the school’s administrator.  I’ve heard some pretty horrible stories and I’ve seen some pretty bloody outcomes.

Of all of the challenges facing Christian schools, tense relationships between the school board and administrators rank in the top five. Why is this the case and more importantly, how do we turn these horror stories into love stories?

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another."  (John 13:34-35)

There is very little I like about growing older and “more experienced”.  The one redeeming blessing is that, by God’s grace, one gains perspective and at least a modicum of wisdom with age.  With the prayer that the Lord might grant a bit of wisdom in the writing of this short article about fostering effective and positive relationships between the school board and chief administrator, I will share a few insights I have gleaned through God’s word, careful observations, and personal experience.

Click here to read the rest of the post.

When Boards Behave Badly . . .

Originally posted on The Christian School Journal.


When Boards Behave Badly, Trust is Broken
Mr. Bill McGee (Headmaster, Hill Country Christian School of Austin)

If one were to conduct a nation-wide poll of non-public school leaders asking them to identify the greatest threat to the health, stability, and future of their schools, undoubtedly there would be a myriad of opinions. Negative influences such as a toxic youth culture, dysfunctional families, unreasonable parent demands, rising tuition rates, a shortage of qualified teachers, and the emergence of charter schools and home-schooling would certainly make the top ten list of concerns for most non-public school administrators. Indeed, these trends and issues have been the subjects of articles published in leading educational journals for years.

Yet, as difficult and perplexing as these challenges are, they are not the greatest menace to our non-public schools. No, the most serious threat to our schools may be their own governing boards. A lack of knowledge, understanding, and application of sound governing principles, what the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) calls “Principles of Good Practice”, poses the greatest danger to the health and stability of non-public schools. When boards behave badly, when they are guilty of unethical practices, when personal agendas emerge, and when shortsighted decision-making is the norm, a trust is broken and the entire school community suffers. It is time for regional accrediting associations and professional membership organizations to do more than publish another article urging school boards to invest in their own development. Serious threats call for serious measures.

Click here to read the rest of the post - including a list of propositions to be considered regarding board development and board accountability.