NSBA President: Reflections of the past year

I’ve heard from many of you about the exciting initiatives under way in your districts, and I’m so proud of the superb work being carried out by school boards across the nation.

Another goal the NSBA Board established this year was to increase communications among NSBA and the state school boards associations that make up the NSBA Federation. The NSBA board feels strongly about the need for continuous improvement, and getting feedback from our constituencies is the best way for us to improve services to the state associations.

As part of this effort, members of the NSBA Board of Directors sought input from the state association leaders on a number of issues, including whether the board should continue to focus on student achievement and how NSBA can help the state associations work on reducing achievement gaps.

We received a wealth of information. Our state association executive directors and other staff told us about extensive programs under way aimed at improving academic achievement, collecting and analyzing data, and advocacy efforts to provide more funding and other support from the federal and state governments.

The responses we received from the state school boards associations will help NSBA ensure that we are serving the needs of our Federation Members and sharpen our focus on the issues that really matter to them.

Now, I’d like to reformulate these questions for all school board members to consider. The only way for us to know about the needs and challenges -- and “snapshots of success” -- of local school boards is to gather the information directly from you.

If you would like to take a minute to respond to some or all of these questions, it would really help NSBA’s efforts at continuous improvement:

• What has your school board done to reduce the achievement gap in your schools? Do you have an example of a school that has shown success in this area?

• How can NSBA help local school boards work on reducing achievement gaps?

• Are there resources -- such as studies or research -- in this area that you believe NSBA should be looking at?

• What obstacles do you need to overcome in order to lead your school board in addressing achievement gaps?

• What have been the key ingredients to your success?

• And after the NSBA Annual Conference next month in San Francisco, we’d like to know your reaction. What are the strengths of the meeting and how could it be improved?

You may send your responses directly to me at gallucci@pcsb.org.

Your willingness to take on the work of reducing the achievement gap -- and your efforts to be a key part of NSBA through the National Affiliate program -- gives NSBA a stronger voice to be an advocate for the nation’s schoolchildren.

Finally, thank you for the magnificent year I have had as your president.

I would be remiss if I did not highlight the groups that have worked so hard this year and through their hard work made NSBA truly shine -- the Board of Directors, the officers and the executive director, the NSBA staff who is beyond outstanding, and the state executive directors who without fail are always there for support.

And thanks, too, to all of those past directors and past presidents who have been there whenever needed.