Governance Resources

SAIS provides several resources for board guidance, training, self assessment, and head evaluation.

Guidance

SAIS schools should bear in mind that good governance is a part of accreditation. The relevant standards and indicators can be found here and the governance questions asked during the pre-accreditation visit are here.

• For background on best practices for independent school boards, see the NAIS Principles of Good Practice for Boards of Trustees and Independent School Trustees.
• Sample documents and checklists:
  • A Nonprofit’s Checklist for Better Board Succession Planning Boardable
  • Building and Maintaining a Strong Board Culture SAIS
  • Conflict of Interest Policy Sample SAIS
  • Leadership Transition Checklist: Board of Trustees SAIS
  • Policy Manual List SAIS
  • Sample Board Meeting Calendar SAIS
  • Sample Trustee Manual SAIS
  • Board Policy Manuals: When Do They Create Problems? John Littleford

Trustee Training

Effective Board Governance Videos SAIS

• Overview of Effective Boards
• Effective Board Rooms
• Board Actions / Handling Complaints
• Additional Situations / Case Studies

2024-25 SAIS Trustee Training Opportunities

Trustee Education Series | Signals & Trends Impacting the Education Sector  September 17, 2024
Trustee Education Series | Auditing Landscape for Nonprofits  November 12, 2024
Trustee Education Series | Legal Landscape & Hot Topics February 4, 2025
Trustee Education Series | Philanthropic Landscape & Trends  April 8, 2025

2024 Board/Head Workshop
October 20, 2024 | Charlotte, NC
In this workshop, we’ll focus on enhancing the critical relationship between heads of school and board chairs, recognizing it as a cornerstone of effective school governance. By providing a dedicated and uninterrupted space for these leaders to engage with each other, the workshop aims to nurture a strong and collaborative relationship. Through guided activities and discussions, participants will work toward establishing a meaningful and mutually beneficial connection. Participants will leave with a framework of practical and actionable steps to build and maintain a strong relationship, ultimately positively impacting the overall success and well-being of the school community.

SAIS Webinar Recordings (SAIS membership required)

• Trustee Education Series – Board Orientation & Emerging Trends
• Trustee Education Series – Head of School Transitions & the Longevity of Heads
• Trustee Education Series – Governance Best Practices & Board Nominations
• Trustee Education Series – Shifting from Status Quo Tuition Setting to Long-Term Sustainability Strategy
• Trustee Education Series – Contracts and Evaluations
• Engaging the Board and Increasing Effectiveness of Your Advancement Committee
• Head of School Contracts & Compensation
• Recruiting for Board Diversity
• Trustee Trends & Orientation
• Trustee Tune-Up – The Fundamentals of Independent School Trusteeship
• Trustee Tune-Up – Financial Wellness for Trustees

Additional Information:

• Avoiding Conflict of Interest on a Nonprofit Board Foundation Group
• Board Member Responsibilities and Roles Boardable
• Board Resources for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion SAIS
• Board Structures: The Good, the Bad and the Downright Ugly John Littleford
• Board vs. Head of School Roles & Boundaries Pat Bassett
• Boards of Trustees Need to Develop New Skills to Be Agile and Effective NAIS
• Building More Diverse Boards of Trustees NAIS
• Committee Management: Roles and Responsibilities Boardable
• Developing High-functioning Boards With Trustee Education NAIS
• Don’t Overlook New Trustee Orientation NAIS
• Four Principles of Purpose-Driven Board Leadership Stanford Social Innovation Review
• How Boards Can Support the Head of School and Nurture School Leadership NAIS
• How the Best Boards Approach CEO Succession Planning Harvard Law
• How the Board-Head Relationship Works in Decision-Making NAIS
• Is Your Board Ready for the Future? Inside Higher Ed
• Managing Head-Board Communications NAIS
• Moving from Oversight to Foresight: Essential Work for the Board NAIS
• Some Key Indicators of Strong or Weak Board Governance Behaviors John Littleford
• Succession Planning to Set Schools Up for Long-Term Success NAIS
• The Board Subcommittees You Need (and the Ones You Don’t) John Littleford
• The Trustee Table Podcast NAIS
• To be or not to be…a trustee? That is the question! Greenwich Leadership Partners
• Trustee Orientation: From a One-Time Event to a Thoughtful Ongoing Process NAIS
• Trustees’ Guide NAIS
• Trustee Training Tools from the NAIS Bookstore NAIS
• Why Alignment is Important in Head of School Searches Jim Wickenden

Board Self-Assessment

The SAIS Governance Health Check is a survey tool for measuring how well the board executes on its commitment to best practices in independent school governance in its day-to-day work within the five domains of board governance:

• Roles and Responsibilities: This section addresses mission, vision, values, strategic priorities, evaluation of head, board performance review, budgeting process, personal giving, and donor cultivation.
• Structure and Operations: This section addresses recruitment and appointment of board members, trustee orientation, meeting attendance, professional development, respect, diversity, bylaws review, and term limits.
• Culture: This section addresses decision making, alignment, discussions, diversity, and support for decisions.
• Board-Head Partnership: This section addresses support, success, and trust of the head; head’s vision; and school information and developments.
• Strategic Mindset: This section addresses mission alignment, allocation of time, long range planning, opportunities and challenges, strategic thinking and planning, and suspension of personal agendas.

• Assessing Board Performance: Best Practices for Nonprofits BoardEffect
• Board Evaluations: The Complete Q&A Guide For Nonprofits Boardable
• End of Trustee Term Interviews Can Provide an Information Treasure Trove NAIS
• Nonprofit Board Self Assessment Tool McKinsey & Company
• Successful Board Assessments BoardSource
• Trustee Evaluation Instrument NAIS

Head Evaluation

In an independent school, one of the primary responsibilities of the board of trustees is the hiring, nurturing, and evaluation of the head of school. The evaluation, when done correctly, enhances communication between the head and board around the school’s strategic goals. It establishes common goals for the year and utilizes appropriate assessments for measuring progress on those goals. The SAIS white paper, “The Head of School Evaluation Process” offers guiding principles for effective head of school evaluations, how to develop the evaluation process, a sample timeline, and sample evaluation survey.