Trustees Preconference
Ritz Carlton Hotel, Doha, Qatar
Full Bio
RICK DETWILER has worked with School Boards as head of five international schools over the past 25 years, including three NESA schools. Born and raised in upstate New York, Mr Detwiler earned his BA at Dartmouth followed by graduate work at Tufts and the University of Vermont.
Before joining the international school community in 1988, he was a Naval officer, a Peace Corps Volunteer in Botswana, and for ten years, a teacher and principal in Vermont. He is married to his wife of 44 years, Sandi, an ESL teacher, and they have three grown children, all educated at international schools, and one of whom teaches at the American School of Doha.
Rick and Sandi also support NESA as international consultants for Mason Associates, helping to place struggling teens in therapeutic educational programs.
Currently, Mr Detwiler is working with NESA on its Board Development Project, in conjunction with his work conducting board training and strategic planning workshops for international schools in NESA, Europe, and Africa. His particular interest in board development lies in developing school board training experiences that are action driven and individualized for the specific needs of the client school.
Preconference Workshop for Trustees, October 19, 8:30-4:30
Preconference Description
Trusteeship: The Fundamentals
The pre-conference is a survey of the basics undergirding any high-performing international school board of trustees. The outcomes are designed to bring relatively new Trustees and Heads of school up to speed on basic Board principles and practices as well as provide veteran Trustees and Heads a refresher on what the literature cites as proven practices.This workshop will present the fundamentals of serving as an international school Trustee and actively engage participants in exploring the role and responsibilities of a Board of Trustees and an individual Trustee.
Mr Detwiler will also facilitate three sessions for Trustees during the FLC - descriptions will be posted soon.
Agenda
| 8:30 | Welcome
|
| 8:45 | Board Culture Participants will explore the concept of "team" as it applies to an international school board. |
| 9:30 | Mission and Vision Participants will recognize the importance of clear, consistent, carefully crafted foundational statements that define the character of the school and guide decision making, from the board room to the classroom. |
| 10:00 | Coffee Break |
| 10:30 | Affirmation of Principles of Good Practice Participants will explore the meaning and relevance to
their board of the NAIS Principles
of Good Practice, BoardSource 12 Principles, and Accreditation Guidelines. |
| 12:00 | Lunch |
| 1:00 | Roles and Responsibilities Participants will understand the roles and responsibilities of the board, individual board members, and the Director with particular attention to handling challenging issues... |
| 2:00 | Policy Governance Participants will acknowledge why policies are useful, examine criteria of effective policies, and understand policy governance and how it applies to the typical International School. |
| 2:40 | Coffee Break |
| 3:10 | Board Protocols Participants will
identify key norms of board operations (e.g.
board member behavior
in and out of meetings, agenda, minutes, meeting protocol, handling complaints, confidentiality,
etc.) that
can enhance board effectiveness if adhered to. |
Outcomes
- Board Culture: Explore the concept of "team" as it applies to an International School Board of Trustees.
- Mission and Vision: Recognize the importance of clear, consistent, carefully crafted foundational statements that define the character of the school and guide decision-making, from the boardroom to the classroom.
- Affirmation of Principles of Good Practice: Explore the meaning and relevance to your board of the NAIS Principles of Good Practice, BoardSource 12 Principles, and the CIS Accreditation Guidelines.
- Roles and Responsibilities: Understand the roles and responsibilities of the Board, individual Trustees and the Head of School with particular attention to handling challenging issues.
- Policy Governance: Acknowledge why policies are useful, examine criteria of effective policies, and understand policy governance and how it applies to the typical International School.
- Board Protocols: Identify key norms of Board operations (e.g. Trustee behavior in and out of meetings, agenda, minutes, meeting protocol, handling complaints, confidentiality, etc.) that can enhance Board effectiveness.
Cost/How to Sign Up
- Preconference Fee: US $125 (includes coffee breaks and lunch)
- How to Sign-Up: Please register for the Fall Leadership Conference via the online registration form (as a member, affiliate or non-member), and check the appropriate box under the heading 'Pre-conference Registration’. (Note: All preconference participants must also be registered for the Fall Leadership Conference itself. Thank you.)
Handouts
Save paper and effort where possible!
For your convenience, and to support our efforts in being "green", all handouts/files posted here have been notated with an A, B, C or D indicating the following:
(A) hardcopies needed at workshop
(B) electronic version on laptop is sufficient (for viewing during the workshop)
(C) required reading PRIOR to the workshop
(D) file not needed for workshop itself, but simply material of additional interest/reference
(B) Resources - Dropbox folder