Managing or Governing
Often, when we ask the question “How’s your School Council going?” we get the answer “We’re managing really well, thank you.”
While we usually understand what that really means; we do need to remind Councils that they are all about governing not managing.
Councils fit within the accepted definition of a ‘board of a public entity’ and that is one reason why we are encouraging councils and councillors to think of themselves as school boards/board members.
By far the most important contribution parents can make to improving educational outcomes for their children is to support them by providing an environment where
• education is valued
• learning is considered worthwhile
• study is encouraged and supported, and
• values are established at home that reflect community expectations of rights being balanced by responsibilities.
ASCIV is convinced that parents can and do make important contributions to School Councils/Boards. We are equally convinced of the importance of the contribution to Councils/Boards made by principals, teacher representatives, and community members.
Principals (and their leadership teams) manage schools to achieve outcomes determined generally by government and specifically by school communities through the policy settings established by their School Council/Board.
Unfortunately, some councillors (parents and teachers) occasionally lose sight of this fact and misguidedly feel that it is their role to manage their schools; some to the point of micro-managing them.
Good governance will deliver a limited suite of policies that include agreed, measurable and realistic targets and which will provide clear indicators as to whether or not that policy objective is being achieved.
Likewise, good management will put in place programs and procedures designed to achieve those targets and will report regularly to School Council/Board with the necessary data that provides evidence of progress toward policy goal. The Council/Board will regularly review progress and discuss what policy adjustments might be necessary.
On this basis we don’t need councils trying to create a myriad (100 or more) of ‘whole of school policies’ to manage what are sometimes just isolated issues or to meet some personal agenda. And we don’t need ‘policies’ that restate what is already required of us by law or regulation.
Real good governance lets managers manage effectively by determining those operational procedures and school rules deemed necessary to achieve the Council’s/Board's policy goals.
These may be applied across whole of school, year level, single grade or just to an individual. They may be applied to students, staff, parents, or the whole school community. They must be framed within the need “for delivering the best possible student outcomes” that we all aspire to.