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McAdams, Donald R. (2006). What School Boards Can Do: Reform Governance for Urban Schools. NY: Teachers College Press. 192 pp. $31.95 ISBN 0-8077-4648-7
Reviewed by Anthony H. Normore
Florida International UniversityFebruary 13, 2007
In today’s urban school systems, a common reality that strikes at the core is reform governance. This reality lends credence to the idea that urban school districts as they have been organized and managed for more than 50 years are not up to the job required in the 21st century. It is common knowledge that schools in America must educate all its children to high levels, and urban school districts, which disproportionately educate America’s marginalized student populations (i.e., those left most vulnerable and disenfranchised), must be redesigned for this task.
This is the fundamental message in Donald R. McAdams's book, What School Boards Can Do: Reform Governance for Urban Schools. McAdams presents an immensely valuable work that captures the many dimensions of the issues of urban school reform. Based on the rich experience and thought-provoking circumstances, he offers a governance theory that is more than best practices on how effective school boards work. Moreover, he offers suggestions that can guide school boards as to what they can be doing, namely, providing leadership for the redesign of urban districts. As suggested in the foreword by former U.S. Secretary of Education, Rod Paige, board members, due to their position of community representation, have the power to act. Furthermore, superintendents, due to their level of professional expertise and responsibility to lead and manage, are close enough to communities and schools to see what needs to be done and powerful enough to do it (p. xii).
The format of the book is researcher/practitioner-friendly. It is clear and easy to follow and provides an excellent source of new knowledge for all stakeholders in education who are interested in urban school districts, urban district leadership, school leadership and reform governance. Essentially, McAdams asserts that reform governance, reform boards, and reform superintendents are all terms connected with those who are committed to transforming ineffective urban school districts into high performing organizations that can eliminate the achievement gap at high levels.
Donald R. McAdams In addition to the introduction–written by McAdams, this book has ten chapters which focus on clarifying the difference between governance and management and the roles and responsibilities of boards and superintendents. These are the two common themes that are developed throughout the book. In chapter one, McAdams examines the pivotal role of school districts in the education of children and analyses the inadequacy of the nearly 100 year old prevailing model that still exists today to meet the needs of the 21st century. The reform governance framework is introduced in chapter one with some focus on strong superintendent leadership, democratic roots of school board authority, and the challenges of established partnerships between school boards and superintendents. According to McAdams, the most revolutionary changes required to redesign urban school districts are not “just management changes. . . they cannot be accomplished in a few years, and not without broad community support. Only boards can provide the leadership required to redesign and sustain over decades school districts that provide equity and results for all children” (p.11).
In chapter two, McAdams provides an overview of reform governance. In efforts to capture important elements of the suggested governance framework, he further reiterates the key components including core beliefs and commitments, theories of change action, roles, responsibilities, and relationships, building blocks of reform governance, policy development and oversight, policies to transform urban districts, civic capacity, and planning for transition. The framework is presented as a flow-chart (see p. 14) and further explained in some detail throughout the chapter. The chapters that follow are an explication of the reform governance framework, supported by examples that place theory in the real world of practice for school board members. Chapter three provides reasons why urban school boards should commit themselves to eliminating the achievement gap at high levels. As emphasized by the author, leadership begins with core beliefs and commitments….that “beliefs not tied to commitments are of little value. . . that there is a big difference between ‘it can be done’, and, ‘it will be done’ (p. 23). The core message in this chapter indicates that school boards cannot effectively lead change unless they accept responsibility for results. If the district fails to improve, it is not the district’s workforce that fails; it is the board that fails. McAdams offers reasons to believe this can be done and how school boards will have to lead the way. In chapter four, a description and analysis of three comprehensive theories of action is presented: managed instruction, performance/empowerment, and managed performance/empowerment. The chapter examines several districts redesigns. The author asserts “for board leaders who have concluded that transformational change of the current system is required, there are alternative theories of actions” and “what is crucial is that the board owns the theory of action” (p. 60). Large urban school districts have such variety within them and are so resistant to change that almost no generalization about them is totally accurate. As reiterated by the author, what district leaders say is happening may be happening only infrequently in a few places.
In chapter five, McAdams examines the two major issues that most frequently lead to conflict between boards and superintendents: constituent service and management oversight. The author capitalizes on the importance of clarifying the roles, responsibilities and positive relationships among board members, the superintendent, and community leaders. He asserts, “if board members don’t know their jobs and can’t get along with one another, the superintendent, or the major centers of power in their community, reform is impossible” (p. 64). Furthermore, McAdams maintains that boards have a democratic responsibility to provide constituent service and fiduciary responsibility to oversee management. Unfortunately, constituent service can all be too easily become problem solving and favor seeking, and management oversight can all too easily become management by the board. McAdams recommends best practices for effective constituent service and management oversight without micromanagement. Chapter six presents the major processes by which the school board does it work by focusing on best practices for board meetings, board workshops, and board committees. He maintains in his introduction that “Boards act as a body, not as individuals, workshops as tools for management oversight and to drive a reform agenda, the proper use of standing and ad hoc committees and committees as a whole, and focused, professionally run, productive business meetings are the essential processes by which boards do their work” (p. 3) and further asserts that “without effective processes, reform governance is difficult, maybe impossible” (p. 84). Focus is on major reoccurring activities and building blocks that public sees (i.e., board meetings, judicial hearings, board workshops, board committees, administrative support) and are the ones where board members act most decisively. If these processes do not work, boards cannot govern and they cannot lead (p. 98).
In chapter seven, McAdams introduces a body of knowledge of policy development methods and principles and effective policy leadership. Reform policy development, approval, and oversight should be the primary work of an urban school board; the policy content should be the primary output of a board’s work. According to McAdams, “policy content is driven by the board’s core beliefs and theory of action and rest on productive relationships, the major processes by which the board does its work, and the correct application of the methods and principles of policy development and oversight” (p. 99). For example, he maintains that the “most effective method for policy oversight is for the board to place in the policy document a statement describing how and when the superintendent will report on implementation and results” (p. 111). Chapter eight briefly presents major policies that derive from comprehensive theories of action. Policies set standards and provide for the establishment of structures and processes. McAdams assert that “Culture follows structure and processes. . . structures and processes can be changed; so in time, can culture” (p.112). Furthermore, he emphasizes that these policies implemented effectively and in proper alignment, are what current practice indicates have the power to transform urban school districts. Some of the core reform policies and related issues described in this chapter include: standards, accountability mechanisms, empowerment, capacity, managed instruction, reform governance policy leadership.
Because boards are instruments of democracy and because creating a new district structure and culture requires constancy of purpose over a decade or more, two important jobs are described in chapter nine including building civic capacity and planning transition. In order for school boards to increase the likelihood that their successors will embrace and advance their reform programs McAdams ascertains that firstly, “they can make certain strong reform candidates committed to continuing on the same path seek to replace them”, and secondly, “make voters prefer these candidates to others” (p. 134). Essentially, when school boards build broad public support (i.e., elected officials, parent activists, media, religious leaders, local foundation and education funds, business and civic leaders) for deep and ongoing reform, preparation for changes in leadership will inevitably occur. In chapter ten, the concluding chapter, McAdams reviews the elements of reform governance, outlines the major design principles that he believes will characterize urban districts of the future. He concludes that the principles of reform governance “when applied and modified in various ways to meet the unique needs of time and place, brought alive by the actions of board leaders for reform, will enable cities to create high-performing school districts and good schools for all children” (p. 150). McAdams re-emphasizes that without reform leadership by boards of education, urban school districts cannot and will not be redesigned. The issue is not what schools can do; it is whether Americans will demand high-performing school districts and elect board members who can and will do what needs to be done.
In reading this book, it is imperative to bear in mind that this is not a handbook that explains how everything is to be done for urban school district reform governance. Instead, the book presents principles as guides to action with enough examples to make them clear. This book, What School Boards Can Do: Reform Governance for Urban Schools, is very timely and well-written for particular audiences by one of the nation’s leading authorities on urban school boards. Sporting 12 years of experience as a board member of the Houston Independent School District (serving twice as board president), conversations with urban reform theorists and practitioners, engaged in teaching cases on urban district governance for The Broad Institute for School Boards and other board-training institutes, Donald R. McAdams provides what Rod Paige calls “a fresh look at a complex subject” (p. xi). The book is a valuable and insightful volume, presented with rigor and thought. It is highly recommended by this reviewer to policymakers and public officials who are interested in furthering their understanding of urban school district reform governance. It is especially recommended for school boards who wish to gain insights into reform principles to guide their actions as they struggle to improve student achievement.
About the Reviewer
Anthony H. Normore, Assistant Professor, Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, College of Education, Florida International University, Miami, Florida
Copyright is retained by the first or sole author, who grants right of first publication to the Education Review.
Editors: Gene V Glass, Kate Corby, Gustavo Fischman
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