On behalf of School Board Partners, it is with immense joy and anticipation that we welcome you to Our Collective Power (OCP) 2024: A National Summit on Courageous School Board Leadership. This year, as we enter a pivotal election season with the presidential election on the horizon, we recognize the crucial role that school board members, like each of us, have always played and will continue to play in defending and expanding our democracy. We also acknowledge the exhaustion that comes with this responsibility.
Four years since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, American public schools are facing unprecedented challenges. Amidst attacks on democracy and public education, it is more important than ever that we at School Board Partners act with urgency to train and support you the elected officials responsible for ensuring a high-quality public education for every student in our great country.
For those of you attending OCP or experiencing an SBP-curated space for the first time, welcome! School Board Partners is dedicated to developing and empowering school board members to champion equitable, student-first learning environments At the heart of our work is a fellowship program designed to close competency gaps in effective governance and policy-making among school board members. We provide training, tools, and tactical resources, especially to many first-generation leaders of color, enabling them to transform their education systems.
Beyond tactical resources, the fellowship also fosters a strong community of board members who support one another. We strive for the following four outcomes in every school community we engage with:
More policies passed that enable accountability, resource allocation, and data use.
Superintendents supported to focus on and be held accountable for student outcomes
More district resources allocated towards initiatives that center student needs. A stronger district focus on monitoring data for school system improvement.
We measure our success when the boards in the communities we work with are:
Setting accountability standards for superintendents and district leadership.
Allocating district-wide resources equitably
Using data and research to inform decision-making
We believe that when a critical mass of individual board members possess the necessary competencies and leadership skills, school boards become more aligned, representative of their communities, and capable of driving progress for students.
Since our time together last year at OCP, we have launched a new governance model Empowered Governance. This policy-centered framework offers a more accountable, power-balanced, and equity-focused approach to school board work. By supporting sound policymaking and governance practices, we empower school boards to empower educators to empower young people to reach their full potential
This year at OCP, we have curated a remarkable lineup of speakers, thought leaders, and experts who will share their insights, experiences, and best practices. Engaging workshops and interactive sessions will provide opportunities for lively discussions, idea exchanges, and forging meaningful connections with fellow attendees You will leave here with tangible and implementable resources, such as policies, resolutions, project plans, critical questions to ask on the dais, and partnerships. We also have a few special surprises, including premiering a new SBP docuseries that highlights excellence in school board governance.
Beyond the formal program, we invite you to immerse yourself in the spirit of camaraderie and unity that this conference fosters. Take this opportunity to network, share stories, and build relationships that extend beyond these few days We have said this many times over and believe it even more today: “The power of collaboration lies within each one of us, and together, we can inspire an anti-racist revolution in education.”
To all the participants, thank you for your dedication, passion, and unwavering commitment to the betterment of our education system We firmly believe that the impact of this conference will reverberate far beyond its conclusion, echoing in the boardrooms and classrooms of our schools for years to come.
We extend our heartfelt appreciation to our sponsors, funders, volunteers, staff, partners, and board for their invaluable support in making this conference possible. Special thanks to our outstanding host committee members for welcoming us to San Antonio, TX
Let us embrace this unique opportunity to restore ourselves and liberate our boards, embarking on a transformative journey collectively. May this conference invigorate your spirits, ignite your imaginations, and empower you to create lasting change
WELCOME TO OUR COLLECTIVE POWER 2024!
. With warm regards,
EthanAshley&CarrieDouglass
Ethan Ashley & Carrie Douglass Co-CEOs and Co-Founders School Board Partners
OUR COLLECTIVE POWER 2024 | JULY 12-14, 2024
SCHEDULE
Hotel & Meeting Spot:
6:00pm - 9:00 pm
9:00am - 10:00am
10:00am - 10:45am
Harnessing Your Power: Re-Establishing Peace, Confidence & Purpose | Salon H/I
OUR COLLECTIVE POWER 2024 | JULY 12-14, 2024 CONTINUED
Saturday July 13th, 2024
12:30pm - 1:45pm
Hotel & Meeting Spot
Lunch Keynote: Fireside Chat | Salon H/I
2:00pm - 3:15pm
Session Options:
Improving Student Outcomes by Changing Adult Behaviors
| Salon H/I
Best Practices for Equity and Community-Centered Superintendent Searches | Salon J
Getting Clear About Your Impact: Personal Theories of Change
| Salon M
Finance 201: All Your Federal Funding is Gone, What Now? | Salon G
Hotel & Meeting Spot
3:30pm - 4:45pm
Session Options:
Nothing About Us, Without Us: A student-led session about student advisory councils | Salon H/I
Strengthening Leadership: Building Aligned Relationships
Between Boards and Superintendents | Salon J
Mastering Robert's Rules: Navigating Board Meetings with Confidence | Salon M
Leveraging Your Strengths for Impact | Salon G
5:00pm - 7:00pm
Networking Mixer | Pearl 1-3 DAY TWO
CONFERENCE SCHEDULE
OUR COLLECTIVE POWER 2024 | JULY 12-14, 2024 CONTINUED
Sunday July 14th, 2024
9:00am - 10:00am
10:00am - 11:15am
Hotel & Meeting Spot
Collecting Your Strength | Salon H/I
Session Options:
What Goes Unspoken: How to Move to the Next Level of Action, Accountability, & Results within Your System's DEI Efforts | Salon H/I
11:30pm - 12:45pm
Hotel & Meeting Spot
Session Options: DAY THREE
Improving Curriculum & Instruction from the Board Level | Salon J
Creating New American Futures: Progressive Initiatives for Immigrant, Refugee, and Undocumented Student Support | Salon M Advocating for Racially and Culturally Inclusive Assessments | Salon G
Mapping Your Career Journey: Strategies for Success in Roles
Compatible with Elected Service | Salon H/I
Cutting Through the Noise: Effective Communications Strategies for Board Members | Salon J
How Goal-Setting Drives Behavior Change in Service of Stronger
Student Outcomes | Salon M
Empowered Governance: A Policy-Centered Model and Tools for Impact | Salon G
Harnessing Your Power is dedicated to rekindling the innate strength within each school board member, empowering them to thrive despite adversity, workplace mistrust, and emotional unsafety. By firmly grasping their power, each SBP member embarks on an immersive journey back to “Self”— experiencing profound peace, internal strength, and strategic capability
SUN. JULY 14TH, 2024 • 9:00AM
JoyfulNoise
SalonH/I
GeminelleMalone+TunnelVision
How do you spark joy during hard times? Is it possible? Joyful Noise shows us the power of our voices to project feelings of joy and high vibrations into challenging spaces. Through active playfulness, we’ll create an energy of joy together through visualization and collective expression. During this session, we'll activate patterns of beliefs that cultivate joy, peace, and gratitude in any environment.
In This Workshop You Will Experience Joyful Feelings Through Visualization
Learn To Expand Out Of Discomfort & In To Comfort
Engage In The Playful Act Of Circle Singing
Affirm Ourselves With Positive Language
SESSION HIGHLIGHTS
SAT. JULY 13TH, 2024 • 11:00AM
GuardiansofDemocracy:SchoolBoardsontheFrontline
SalonH/I
AshleyBurns,NilofarGanjaie,Dr.LandonMascareñaz
Explore the critical role of school boards in safeguarding democracy. With 90% of America's children educated in public schools, school boards shape the next generation of leaders This session delves into the threats to democracy, such as regressive policies and reduced educational accountability. Learn how school boards can combat these trends by shaping civics curricula, passing voter registration policies, and fostering student leadership Join us for insightful discussions and strategies to protect and advance democratic values through public education.
StayReady:SecuringYourSeatattheTable
SalonJ
JustinMcCorkle
This session will provide school board members with a checklist of key strategies that should be implemented to best secure their seat- making the run for reelection easy- and tools to use to help secure their agendas, even if they decide not to run for re-election.
Master the art of working within a team setting with "Navigating Board Dynamics." This session equips school board members with essential strategies to manage board dynamics and resolve conflicts effectively. Learn how to build and restore trust, crucial for tackling the district's most challenging issues. Whether you're entering a board that lacks trust or striving to regain it, this session provides the tools and insights needed to navigate and lead successfully Join us to foster a collaborative and trustworthy board environment.
SAT. JULY 13TH, 2024 • 12:30PM
FIRESIDE CHAT
Revolutionizing
Political Leadership:
An Unfiltered Dialogue with Quentin James
Ethan Ashley, Esq.
Quentin James
SESSION HIGHLIGHTS
SAT. JULY 13TH, 2024 • 2:00PM
ImprovingStudentOutcomesbyChangingAdultBehaviors
SalonH/I
AJCrabill
Join author and national school board coach AJ Crabill for an enlightening session on a student outcomes-focused approach to school board governance. Discover how changing adult behaviors can significantly improve governance practices and advance educational success. Gain valuable insights and practical strategies to prioritize student outcomes, ensuring your board's decisions and actions have a lasting, positive impact on the most important stakeholders students Don't miss this opportunity to learn from a leading expert and enhance your governance approach.
Join Alma Advisory Group and a panel of Board members for an in-depth session on conducting successful, equity-driven, and community-centered superintendent searches. Discover their innovative model, proven to craft successful searches across the country. This session will explore key practices for a transparent and anti-biased search process, including:
or underrepresented.
You’ll hear from Board members who successfully completed searches, who will share their experiences creating a comprehensive and inclusive search strategy that ensured the selection of a superintendent who embodied the values and needs of their communities. Enhance your board’s approach to superintendent searches with these best practices and insights
Maximize your impact as a school board member with "Getting Clear About Your Impact." This session guides you in developing a personal theory of change, helping you communicate your vision and focus your efforts With clear and strategic planning, you can make a significant difference during your term. Join us to create a strong, actionable "north star" to guide your service on the school board.
Many school districts face extremely difficult budgets with the end of federal relief funds, declining student enrollment, and the need to support student academic recovery. In this session, participants will learn more about the challenges through engaging with real examples from districts and gain strategies to address these challenges while prioritizing students.
Maximize your impact as a school board member with "Getting Clear About Your Impact." This session guides you in developing a personal theory of change, helping you communicate your vision and focus your efforts. With clear and strategic planning, you can make a significant difference during your term. Join us to create a strong, actionable "north star" to guide your service on the school board
In an era of high superintendent turnover, fostering a strong working relationship between school boards and superintendents is more crucial than ever. "Strengthening Leadership" offers concrete approaches and strategies to build trust, ensure leadership stability, and maintain team cohesion. This session will provide school board members with the tools and skills necessary to improve relations with their superintendents, emphasizing the board's role in righting any relational issues from its position of authority Learn how to stay aligned and work as a unified team to achieve lasting success for your district.
Unlock the power of Robert's Rules of Order to conduct your board meetings more efficiently and effectively. This session will equip school board members with essential skills to advance their agendas, maintain order, and strategically navigate board dynamics. Learn to harness these rules to your advantage, whether you're in the majority or minority. Join us to gain practical insights, a handy cheat sheet, and answers to critical questions that will enhance your governance and politicking skills.
LeveragingYourStrengthsforImpact
SalonG
Dr.AmandaAiken
Enhance your personal leadership skills to drive change within your school board.
Join Dr. Amanda Aiken, a leading expert on StrengthsFinder, to learn how to identify and leverage your individual strengths while working cohesively with your board colleagues. We know that the best personal leaders are also best equipped to lead their teams, and for school board members, this translates into becoming the chair or board president. This session will provide insights into how understanding your own strengths, in concert with your board colleagues, can foster a collaborative and effective board dynamic. Equip yourself with the tools to become a future-ready leader who can drive meaningful change.
Quite often, discourse within the realm of diversity, equity, and inclusion focuses on theory, but fails to connect the dots to provide the practical clarity board members need to understand the concrete practices, methods, and strategies necessary to lead thriving, equitable, inclusive, safe, and just school systems. This session provides the practical insights and strategies board members, superintendents, and systems can leverage to move from theory and philosophical agreement to real actionable change and accountability. Participants love the way this session centers the varying intersectional identities of students, staff, and families they serve, meanwhile providing clear frameworks and tangible resources board members can walk away and leverage within their governance responsibilities
Join us for a crucial session on "Improving Curriculum & Instruction," focused on addressing the post-pandemic student learning loss. it's time to refocus on what truly matters: high-quality instructional materials This session will equip board members with strategies to advance and adopt instructional materials that are representative and impactful. Attendees will also receive a drafted policy tool to help protect these initiatives from conservative challenges. If you are new to the school board, haven't gone through a curriculum adoption or want to ensure your process is good, come attend this session You will gain the understanding and tools needed to improve curriculum and instruction from the board level, ensuring all students have the resources to succeed.
KrystalAllen
SESSION HIGHLIGHTS
SUN. JULY 14TH, 2024 • 10:00AM
CreatingNewAmericanFutures:ProgressiveInitiatives forImmigrant,Refugee,andUndocumentedStudent Support
SalonM
YleniaAguilar,ChrisSolorio
Join us for an essential session on "Creating New American Futures," focused on advancing progressive initiatives for supporting immigrant, refugee, and undocumented students Hear from experts with first-hand experience implementing strategies to create safe havens and ensure all students receive a high-quality education. This session will equip board members with practical tools and strategies to meet this critical moment, fostering an environment where all students can thrive. Learn how to develop comprehensive plans that provide ongoing support and educational success for immigrant, refugee, and undocumented students.
Participants will learn about the limitations of traditional standardized assessments for use in a racially and culturally diverse society, and how inclusive assessments can benefit all students. The session will discuss EdTrust’s 5 elements of inclusive statewide summative assessments, including examples of inclusive items. Participants will hear about how schools and districts are exploring this emerging area of work and how school board members can serve as advocates for adopting inclusive assessment practices in their states and districts.
In this workshop session led by experienced coaches, participants will delve into their experiences in elected service, uncovering the diverse skill set they've cultivated Through interactive exercises, attendees will map out their career trajectories, pinpointing opportunities where their skills align with roles beyond their current elected positions, and discover options they didn’t know existed. By leveraging their unique expertise, participants will discover how to sustain and expand their impact in careers compatible with their dedication to public service.
In today's climate, effective communication is more crucial than ever for school board members and education advocates. "Cutting Through the Noise" offers essential strategies to navigate post-pandemic challenges and overcome the proliferation of online information and misinformation. This session will equip attendees with the skills needed to communicate clearly, confidently, and effectively, ensuring your message is heard above the noise Join us to enhance your communication tactics and foster a more informed and engaged community.
Robust goals can drive change and improve student outcomes. But ho structure district goals and policies to incentivize innovation that leads to better student outcomes? In this session we will answer this question by breaking down what considerations should undergird goal creation and ongoing monitoring in order to drive demonstrable change.
Join us for an insightful session on ""Empowered Governance,"" the latest governance framework developed by School Board Partners This session is perfect for those new to School Board Partners, offering an overview of our mission and work. Founders Ethan Ashley and Carrie Douglass, along with national school board policy coach and former school board member Ben Kleban, will introduce the Empowered Governance framework and discuss its impact on improving student outcomes, environments, experiences, and access.
We will also highlight a new literacy policy, soon to be added to our policy toolkit. Empowered Governance is the only framework with adjoining policy exemplars designed to meet current educational challenges while addressing historical systemic gaps. Attendees will gain practical examples of how implementing this framework can enhance board effectiveness. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn about cutting-edge governance strategies and policies that drive meaningful change.
Restoring Ourselves...
Being a school board member can be both challenging and rewarding. We encourage you to take advantage of the opportunities to engage in self-care.
SUN. JULY 14TH • ZEN LOUNGE | SALON K
Self-CareLounge&Massages
We have designated the Zen Lounge as the Self-Care Lounge. The lounge is available for you anytime you need a break from the sessions, want to relax, or just need a calm place to clear your mind.
FREE Massages! We will have massage therapists available to provide a brief massage for OCP attendees. Please see a team member to sign up for an available slot.
SAN ANTONIO MARRIOTT RIVER CENTER ON THE RIVER WALK
