OUTCOMES: The Fundamentals of Trusteeship in an International School (for new trustees)
Board Culture
Understand the challenge of international school governance and how it varies from corporate governance.
Mission and Vision
Recognize the importance of clear, consistent, carefully crafted foundational statements (mission, vision & values) and the role they play in decision making from the boardroom to the classroom.
Principles of Good Practice
Understand board behaviors that support the NAIS Principles of Good Practice.
Roles and Responsibilities
• Understand the roles and responsibilities of trustees in relation to: each other, the Chair, the Head of School, board committees and task forces, faculty, students, parents and the broader community.
• Have a general understanding of the activities the board engages in to address its fiduciary, strategic and generative roles.
• Understand the difference between being a board “member” and being a board “trustee”.
• Understand, in broad brush strokes, the line that separates the board’s field of responsibilities/duties from those of the Head of School.
• Understand that the board adds the most value when it operates in the strategic realm.
Policy
Appreciate the role of policies in the operation of a school; the criteria of effective policies, why policies are useful, and how “policy governance” works in a typical international school.
Board Protocols
Identify norms of board operations that enhance board effectiveness.
