What is School Board School?
At School Board SchooL
we bring diverse leadership to both school board and education advocacy roles, build a coalition between these groups, and provide them with a deep understanding of how their school district currently operates and how to make systemic change.
we do this by:
• Developing diverse leadership: We build a network of people who have historically been affected by but not included in this work. We grow their confidence, skills, knowledge, and network so that educational leadership at all levels- from community activists to school board members- represents the full diversity of our community.
• Preparing our members to lead and govern: During our seven-month learning program, our members engage in 20 sessions and field trips, each led by content area experts. These experiences provide our members with a deep understanding of how school districts operate and what it takes to make systemic change.
• Providing ongoing support: We provide sessions and tools to support our members over the long-term in achieving their individual goals and in collective actions.
• Supporting strong coalitions: Individuals can have a positive impact but they don’t change systems; coalitions change systems. Our members start as a group of individuals considering the independent actions they can take to make change, but grow into a coalition of people who work together over time in collective and sustained action.
• Building our community’s knowledge: We provide tools and opportunities for the general public to grow their understanding of school boards and policy, as well as knowledge about issues affecting our students and how they can help.
Over the last five years, we’ve grown into a coalition of more than 100 members working together from seats throughout the community to build school systems where every child can thrive. Check out this video of where we’ve been and where we’re headed!
This program has changed my life and the way I think about impact and systemic change. It's helped me believe in myself and the set of skills I have. I feel more confident in connecting and networking with others outside of my circle to create coalitions for the children of Cincinnati as the beneficiaries. I owe so much to my upcoming path & journey to School Board School.
Class 2 Member
Why do we need School Board School?
We know systems change when pressure is applied from both inside and outside the system.
That’s why we build pathways for people who want to effect change as school board members as well as for those seeking to make changes from other roles in the community.
There are more than 90,000 school board members
serving across our country and before School Board School, there was nowhere for them to receive comprehensive training prior to assuming their role. School board members make big decisions that affect thousands of children the day they sit down in their seat; there’s no time for a learning curve. They need to be ready to serve on day one.
More effective school board members alone won’t transform our school systems.
We also need an informed constituency of parents, nonprofit leaders, community organizers, and education advocates who can hold their school boards accountable while working with them from a diversity of seats across the community to build more equitable school systems.
AS PART OF THE SCHOOL BOARD SCHOOL NETWORK,
our members understand how their district operates, they know the changes they want to make to improve outcomes for children, and they know how they want to make their impact. Most importantly, they become part of a coalition of aspiring school board members and education advocates working from inside and outside the system in order to build more just and equitable school systems.
School Board School has encouraged me to be a dreamer again and recognize that there are things that I can do that I didn’t even conceptualize that I could do but I now know that I can. One of the things I hold tightly to is that what you seek is seeking you and School Board School helped me find the place in my life to seek again.
Jasmine Coaston
Class 1
