What to Look For in a Governance System. 27. Part Two: ... Characteristics of a
Governance-by-Policy System. 55. 7. General .... through the end of the book.
Promotional Excerpt
Mission-Directed Governance Leading the Christian School with Vision, Unity, and Accountability
Leonard Stob The Calvin Press • Calvin College in association with The Van Lunen Center: Executive Management in Christian Schools and The Kuyers Institute for Christian Teaching and Learning Grand Rapids, Michigan
Copyright © 2011 by Leonard Stob All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or mechanical, photocopying and recording, without the permission of the publisher. Published 2011 by The Calvin Press Calvin College in association with The Van Lunen Center: Executive Management in Christian Schools and The Kuyers Institute for Christian Teaching and Learning 3201 Burton St SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49546 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Stob, Leonard, 1944– Mission-directed governance : leading the Christian school with vision, unity, and accountability / by Leonard Stob p. cm. ISBN-13: 978-1937555-01-6 (pbk) All Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. Printed in the United States of America
Table of Contents Foreword 9 Preface and Acknowledgments 11 Introduction 15
Part One: Governance Is the Issue 1. Change Is Challenging Your School 2. What to Look For in a Governance System
21 27
Part Two: Existing Governance Options 3. Characteristics of the Traditional System of Governance 35 4. General Assessment of the Traditional System 43 5. Debilitating Consequences of the Traditional System 49 6. Characteristics of a Governance-by-Policy System 55 7. General Assessment of the Governance-by-Policy System 61 8. Organizational Characteristics of Christian Schools 71
Part Three: How the Mission-Directed Governance System Works 9. Characteristics of the Mission-Directed System 10. A School Makes the Change 11. The Constitution Defines the Essentials 12. The Board Is the Central Authority 13. The Role of the Head of School 14. The Effective Use of Committees 15. The Board Governs Itself 16. Selecting New Board Members
79 87 93 103 113 121 127 137
Part Four: Practical Tools to Implement the Mission-Directed Governance System 17. Tools to Preserve and Protect 18. Measuring What Is Important 19. Head-of-School Reports 20. Advancing the Mission 21. The Board Determines the Direction and Priorities of the School 22. Evaluating the Head of School 23. Summary of Board Responsibilities and Tools
145 151 159 165 171 179 187
Epilogue: Reflections, Decisions, and Directions 24. The Process of Change
195
Works Cited 203
This promotional excerpt omits pages 7–24.
Change Is Challenging Your School
25
The Central Issue Is Governance It is apparent that how the school handles change will affect its organizational life, the process for decision making, and the nature and amount of conflict it experiences. How we handle change is critical. The school must be able to identify what must not change, what ought to be changed, and what constitutes a clear process for making change. These issues are central to the purpose and function of governance systems. The governance system is the framework that determines the process of decision making and, therefore, how the institution will handle change. This organizational structure provides the reins for control and assigns who is empowered to determine direction and operational practices. The system classifies the roles of the board, the head of school, and the ownership group. It also clarifies the degree of their participation and influence, the limits of their authority and decision making, and the degree of their accountability. The governance system sorts which issues the school will consider as well as the process by which the school can anticipate, evaluate, discuss, and resolve those issues. Most importantly, the governance system determines whether those who hold leadership positions can provide real leadership. The governance system under which the school operates is critical to the health and direction of the school. The next task will be to consider governance systems and how they help school leaders address change. We will find that each governance system produces a distinctive expectation as to what issues are appropriate to discuss and what the process for change should be. What should we look for in a governance system?
Chapter Reflections 1. Describe the position of those who advocate that the school should operate using business strategies. 2. Describe the position of those who are hesitant for the school to operate using business strategies. 3. What aspects of ministry and business should a Christian school exhibit? 4. Is your school run more like a ministry or a business? 5. To what extent and in what respects is your community changing economically and socially? 6. Do you see any changes that ought to be made in the operations of your school?
This promotional excerpt omits page 26.
Chapter Two
What to Look For in a Governance System
T
he governance system should encourage the school’s leaders to concentrate on moving confidently toward the mission, with methods in place to resolve routine problems. The governance model should provide the board with a way to apply proactive strategies, rather than just reacting to the most recently identified problems. The essential problems usually are associated with the school’s organization and its expectations, limitations, and processes. School problems are not primarily people problems. There may be an occasional cantankerous or inept person, but the crucial problems typically are not the result of the motivations, work ethic, intelligence, or loyalty of the board members, administration, staff, or constituency. Everyone involved wants what is best for the school and hopes to contribute to its success. Boards are tempted to think that the answer to problems is to get a new administrator, a new board member, or a new teacher, if only to send the message that they are seriously addressing the issues. Firing good people will not help develop a good school; however, the right people with the right training and experience need to be in the right positions and willing to participate with a clear mandate, an understood process, and explicit accountability. The school should look for a governance system that includes the following characteristics:
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Governance Is the Issue
• • • • • • • • •
Articulates a clear philosophy and mission Focuses the school’s attention and energies on advancing the mission Identifies, protects, and promotes the organization’s core values Provides an orderly process for decision making by specifying roles of authority Provides an organizational structure that promotes stewardship, efficiency, financial stability, and strategic planning Includes a process for all employees to contribute to the mission Provides criteria and the means to measure progress Ensures accountability of all with identified responsibilities, limits of authority, and criteria Enjoys a confident and supportive relationship between the board and the ownership group
In contrast, a poor governance system will contribute to the school’s instability by permitting exaggeration and overstatement of some issues or by having the school avoid necessary topics just because they are unpleasant, complicated, or political.
This promotional excerpt omits the remainder of page 28 through the end of the book. To purchase the full volume, visit the Van Lunen Center website or contact your local bookstore.
