Fort Worth Independent School District
Lone Star Governance
The intention of Lone Star Governance is to provide a continuous improvement model for School Boards, in collaboration with their Superintendents, to focus intensively on one primary objective: Improving Student Outcomes.
Effective school board governance keeps student outcomes at the center of decision-making. It requires the school board to establish clear priorities, monitor progress, align resources, and communicate results transparently, while working collaboratively with the superintendent and maintaining clear roles and responsibilities. Effective school board governance is premised on two beliefs:
First, school systems exist to improve student outcomes.
Second, student outcomes don’t change until adult behaviors change.
What are student outcomes?
Student outcomes are measurements at the end of an educational cycle (not the beginning or middle) of what students know or are able to do (e.g., students reading, doing math, problem solving, creating art, and generally demonstrating the knowledge and skills needed for whatever they choose to do next). This is in contrast to adult outcomes which are measures of what adults know or have done at the end of an educational cycle (e.g., balanced budgets, teacher satisfaction, facility conditions, discipline disparities).
How does school board effective governance keep student outcomes at the center of decision-making?
By identifying 1-5 priority areas of the community’s vision (referred to as, “goals”) and 1-5 priority areas of the community’s values (referred to as “guardrails”) and then focusing their attention on those priority items.
What are student outcome goals?
Policy statements that are SMART, that are student outcomes focused, and that describe the Board’s top priorities during the timeline for which they are adopted. The first priority for resource allocation in the school system should be toward achieving the Board’s goals. Once those allocations are complete, remaining resources may be allocated in a manner that addresses the additional needs and obligations of the school system. Goals generally are set for a three to five year period. Goals generally take the form of “student outcome will increase from X to Y by Z.” (SMART - Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Results-Based and Timebound)
What are guardrails?
An operational action or class of actions, usually strategic not tactical, the Superintendent may not use or allow in pursuit of the school system’s student outcome goals. Guardrails are based on the community’s values and should not undermine the school system’s ability to meet the goals — though guardrails will often require the Superintendent to accomplish the goals in a different way.
What can community members do to support the board’s effective governance efforts?
Read about effective governance practices and the research behind them. Ask school board members questions about governance practices. This is a continuous improvement framework, so school board members will be learning how to be more focused on student outcomes. Don’t expect them to know it all, but keep asking questions because that will help accelerate their learning process. The more knowledgeable they are, the more effectively they can serve our students.
https://www.cgcs.org/member-services/school-board-governance