Revamp Evaluations to Build a Stronger Board-Director Partnership

A thriving charter school depends on a strong, trust-filled partnership between its board and executive director. Yet unclear roles, poor communication, and unspoken tension can quietly erode that relationship. This hands-on, minds-on session invites school leaders and board members to examine—and strengthen—their leadership partnership through the lens of one of its most powerful facets: director evaluations.

We’ll start with a high-level look at best practices in board-director collaboration, drawing on nationally recognized resources from nonprofit and charter leadership. Participants will assess what’s working—and what’s not—in their current partnership across areas like goal-setting, accountability, communication, succession planning, and governance. We’ll examine examples of board-director dynamics, from overly deferential “yes” boards to micromanaging ones, and identify the qualities that make for exceptional partnerships.

Then we’ll dive into a work session on director evaluations. Led by a neuroscientist and former superintendent-turned-leadership coach, the heart of this session will introduce the psychology and brain science behind giving and receiving feedback, the dangers of “CEO disease,” and practical strategies for maximizing leadership potential. Participants will be guided through key strategies to redesign their school’s evaluation process that have been proven to bring about positive long-term growth, improve organizational performance, and strengthen partnerships.

**Participants are asked to bring their current director evaluation materials (if available); these will be workshopped through together.**

Whether your board-executive partnership is thriving, strained, or somewhere in between, you’ll leave with a concrete action plan to strengthen your board-director partnership.