Charles Ungerleider, Professor Emeritus, The University of British Columbia
[permission to reproduce granted if authorship is acknowledged]
The cyclical nature of the school year, coupled with the consistent influx of students embodying a diverse array of backgrounds and abilities makes the educational goals of enhancing student achievement, fostering equity, and reinforcing public confidence in the educational system ones that endure over time. Each incoming cohort of students brings with it a unique blend of strengths, challenges, and needs. The variety of these needs - cognitive, socio-emotional, cultural, linguistic, physical, among others - reinforces the persistent nature of improving student achievement and success, ensuring equity among different groups of students, and instilling confidence in the school system.
Improving student achievement and success is a constant because, with each new group of students, there is a renewed need to ensure they acquire the knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary for their success in school and beyond. Every year, schools welcome students with diverse abilities, ethnicities, socio-economic statuses, and more. Equity in education means ensuring that all students achieve outcomes unimpeded by their backgrounds or circumstances. Given the diversity in any school population, the pursuit of equity is an ongoing task that must be addressed anew with each incoming cohort.
The credibility of the school system is dependent on its ability to adapt to the changing needs of the student population and the broader community. It must strive to improve, to foster an environment of trust and respect, and to deliver on its commitments to the citizens who rely on the school system to prepare the young to take their role as citizens. As societal expectations and contexts evolve, so too does the need for the school system to demonstrate its relevance, effectiveness, and reliability.
The rapid pace of technological change requires schools to modify teaching strategies to prepare students for a world increasingly dependent on technology. This constant need for adaptation underscores the enduring nature of the goal of improving student achievement and success. As societal values and norms shift, so too do the expectations placed on schools. Schools are places where students are prepared for their participation in a democratic society that values respect for diversity, civic responsibility, and social justice. Schools have a responsibility to prepare students to engage with diverse cultures and perspectives. The goal of promoting equity must therefore extend to include intercultural understanding and competence.
The persistence of these goals — enhancing student achievement, fostering equity, and building public confidence in the education system — highlights their importance, and there is an argument to be made that they should be at the core of a school board's strategic focus. The essential role these goals play in shaping an effective and inclusive educational environment is undeniable, and their achievement can be seen as a critical indicator of the success of an educational institution.
Reducing the strategic goals of a school board exclusively to these objectives may not encapsulate the multifaceted nature of education, nor address the complexity and variety of students' needs. Education isn't merely about academic achievement, but also about holistic development, including social, emotional, and physical wellbeing. Similarly, equity extends beyond academic equity to include providing a safe, inclusive, and supportive environment for all students, regardless of their background, abilities, or identity. These important dimensions of schooling should be reflected in board policies and, if they are not expressed in policy, school boards should have as a strategic objective for their development.
Matters such as teacher recruitment and retention, budgeting, and facilities management are operational matters that are necessary to achieve the broader goals of education. How these operational tasks are managed and executed to effectively support these broader goals depends on the Superintendent that the Board hires.
The Superintendent sets priorities for hiring teachers with specific skill sets or experiences, establishes and implements programs to support teacher development and job satisfaction, and allocates resources towards competitive compensation packages. The superintendent’s budgeting decisions should prioritize programs and resources that have been shown to be effective, efficient, and economical.
While these areas are indeed operational in nature, they require planning and decision-making to ensure they align with and support the broader educational goals. School board oversight can ensure their operations not only address the day-to-day functions of the schools but also contribute to the long-term vision and goals of the education system.
The role of the school board extends beyond just hiring a superintendent to manage operations. School boards are responsible for setting the strategic direction of the district, establishing policies, and holding the superintendent accountable for implementing these policies and achieving the set goals.
While the superintendent handles the day-to-day operational aspects of running the school district, the school board is responsible for ensuring that these operations align with the larger strategic goals. So, even though operational tasks like teacher recruitment, budgeting, and facilities management might be handled primarily by the superintendent, the school board still has a crucial role in overseeing the performance of the superintendent.
While the tactics and methods employed by the school board’s leadership may change over time, the underlying goals of improving student achievement, ensuring equity, and instilling confidence in the school system are constant because of the changing nature of the student population and the broader social, economic, and technological context in which schools operate.