- Audience:
- Education
- Parents
- Schools
- Topics:
- Improvement
- Stewardship
- Decision making
- Evaluation
- Video
- Improvement in Action Te Ahu Whakamua
Summary
“We are not only able to see the report, we are able to ask the hard questions.”
At Manurewa Central School, the relationship between the principal and trustees is described in terms of how trust and confidence is built through effective listening and transparent reporting, interrogation and discussion of information.
Key messages:
- The principal and board chair meet frequently to share and discuss issues
- Issues for consideration at board meetings are accompanied by a range of solutions and possible options
- The information sitting behind reports and recommendations is available for scrutiny
- Confidence comes from being able to ask the hard questions and seek clarification and justification
Things to think about:
- What processes have you in place to ensure the effectiveness of board decision making in the interests of learner outcomes?
The evaluation indicators this video illustrates
- Domain 1: Stewardship
- Evaluation Indicator
- The board scrutinises the effectiveness of the school in achieving valued student outcomes
This video is part of a series
This video is part of the series Improvement in Action Te Ahu Whakamua. We created this series to inspire schools with examples of success in action. These examples highlight the benefits of fulfilling the evaluation indicators we use to review schools.
LAURIE THEW: I'm interested in what you think about this issue that I'm pondering because we'd be writing next year's budget next term, and we've got the same issue that we had last year, basically. I don't want the board to hear anywhere else something about the school that they feel they should know. That's why I meet with the board chair often just to talk over what's happening. I don't like bringing problems to them without bringing solutions as well. If we have an issue here that we need to resolve, then I have to come to them with some options and pluses and minuses, and here are some things we could do at the board table.
CHRIS WARD: We see a large number of reports come through, but we don't only see the report, we see a lot of the information that's gone behind that report to get it to where it is. That's really where that confidence comes from because we're not only seeing the report, which is fine, we're always able to ask a hard question and he'll be able to pull out the information.
LAURIE THEW: The trust comes from listening to them, but also putting options out to them and making recommendations.