LEADERSHIP
Leadership Matters: Governing and Leading in 2024
School boards don’t lead in a vacuum. IJͼ offers several opportunities for school board members to come together in national forums to learn and exchange ideas, such as January’s Equity Symposium and Advocacy Institute, writes IJͼ Executive Director and CEO Verjeana Jacobs-McCotter.
President’s Perspective: Board Governance Takes Training and Practice
The leadership we typically learn about emphasizes a solo approach—think Captain Kirk or Captain Picard—says IJͼ President Kristi Swett. School board decision-making authority, however, comes from the entire group, and that leadership involves collaboration and consensus building.
FEATURES
Serving on school boards gives students a voice in their schooling and helps school leaders to better understand and support them.
Rapper and actor Ice-T offers his story of overcoming adversity to urban board members at the CUBE Annual Conference.
13 Mistakes Board Members Make
Ensure that you and your board colleagues aren’t making these common board service errors.
The School Board as Servant-Leader
The school board not only leads but it also serves and is responsible to others at multiple levels.
State Member Spotlight: Model Board Governance
Indiana’s strategic plan provides practical governance applications for all school boards.
TRENDS
Book Review: How Schools Meet Students’ Needs — Inequality, School Reform, and Caring Labor
Q&A with 2024 National Secondary Principal of the Year Andy Farley
URBAN ADVOCATE
The Ferguson-Florissant School Board received the 2023 Award for Urban School Excellence from IJͼ’s Council of Urban Boards of Education (CUBE).
A Lifesaver and a Guiding Light
Dr. Jonathan Hodges, a former school board commissioner for New Jersey’s Paterson Public Schools, received the 2023 Benjamin Elijah Mays Lifetime Achievement Award, presented by the IJͼ’s Council of Urban Boards of Education (CUBE).
Chairman’s Column: Building Strong Foundations
A brighter, more sustainable future for urban schools requires a triad of advocacy, executive leadership, and governance, writes CUBE Chair Gill Garrett.
SOUNDBOARD
Communications: Communications Leaders
Districts are reaping benefits as they grow their communications staff and capacity.
Research: The Value of In-Person Connection and Communication
Artificial intelligence and social media can keep students from developing authentic relationships.
Equity: Making School a Safe Place for All Students
Four core principles can guide educators in supporting trans and non-binary students.
ONLINE ONLY
School Boards Could be the Catalyst for Achievement Gains