To help superintendents navigate challenges, this toolkit presents strategies and accompanying tools superintendents can use to develop their leadership approach and skills to support a positive, productive, and long-term working relationship with school board members. Specifically, this toolkit examines and includes tools related to three essential superintendent leadership strategies.
This toolkit is designed to support new and current superintendents in the state of Washington as they seek to establish and maintain relationships with their school boards – including members elected to their posts during the most recent school board election cycle. By applying the strategies and using the corresponding tools contained in this toolkit, superintendents will better position themselves to lead their districts effectively through ongoing and novel challenges and, ultimately, promote better outcomes for students. families, staff, and the larger district community.
Hanover Research – in collaboration with the Washington Association of School Administrators (WASA) and the Michigan Association of Superintendents and Administrators (MASA) – has also published the research brief Effective Superintendent and School Board Collaboration. This brief aims to equip superintendents with theoretical knowledge and practical insights to foster a constructive work environment with school board members. As such, the research brief serves as a valuable complement to this toolkit.
