BOARD BULLETIN: Recalibrating Strategic Direction: Keeping Vision and Action Aligned

By Dr. Brett Jacobsen, SAIS President

In today’s dynamic educational landscape, independent schools cannot afford to let strategy gather dust on a shelf. A board’s ability to set, monitor, and adapt strategic direction determines whether the school’s mission evolves with purpose or drifts in response to circumstance. The Strategic Direction competency in the SAIS Governance Health Index (GHI) reminds us that a school’s long-term health depends on how well the board and head translate mission into momentum.

Shared Roles, Distinct Responsibilities

• Board of Trustees: Establishes and periodically revisits the school’s mission and long-range vision. Approves and monitors strategic targets while ensuring all governance decisions align with those priorities.
• Head of School: Partners with the board to design those strategic targets, then translates them into actionable objectives. Leads the community’s operational alignment around those goals, ensuring day-to-day execution stays true to long-term intent.

When these roles operate in sync, the school achieves clarity, focus, and accountability. When they drift apart, confusion and friction quickly follow.

A Scenario to Consider

Imagine this: your school’s strategic plan is three years old. Enrollment patterns are shifting, new academic programs are emerging, and parents are asking questions about the future. The head begins adjusting programming to stay relevant—but without updated board guidance, priorities blur. Faculty grow uncertain about what matters most, and the community begins to sense strategic drift.

This situation, drawn from real governance patterns, underscores the importance of continuous alignment. The plan itself isn’t the problem; the failure to revisit and refresh it is.

Questions to Explore

• When was the last time we revisited our mission and vision?
• Do our current strategic priorities still reflect market realities and community needs?
• How is progress toward strategic goals being monitored and communicated?
• Are we balancing generative, fiduciary, and strategic discussions effectively in our agendas?
• Do we have clear dashboards that connect board oversight to head execution?

An Invitation to Reflect

Where does your board fall along the GHI continuum?

• Undefined: Struggling to articulate how current initiatives connect to mission.
• Emerging: A shared understanding exists, but alignment is inconsistent.
• Aligned: Vision and priorities are clearly articulated and mostly embedded in decisions.
• Integrated: Strategy drives all decisions, from boardroom discussions to classroom realities.

The most effective boards understand that strategy is a living conversation, not a static document.

SAIS Governance Tools & Instruments

• Governance Health Index
• Board Self-Evaluation Instrument
• Head Evaluation Instrument
• Board Evaluation of Executive Committee Instrument

Leadership Resources

• Effective Board Leadership: The Art of Doing It Well and the Risks, Harvard Law School Forum
• For Board Members Understanding the Adaptability Polarity: Finding the Space Between Drift and Stagnancy, Explo Elevate
• How Independent Schools Build Strategic Plans That Work, Winkler Group
• Succession Planning Reimagined: Research for Navigating Leadership Transitions, Center for Creative Leadership
• The Board’s Role in Governing AI Use, NBOA
• Thinking Ahead – Independent School Boards and Strategic Planning, Effective Governance

November 12, 2025