Less Nodding, More Governing: Moving Beyond the Rubber Stamp
Board meetings should be more than passive listening sessions and endless agenda reviews. Effective charter school governance requires board members to engage differently depending on the conversation, challenge, or decision at hand. In this interactive session, participants will explore the “modes of engagement” that help boards move from simply attending meetings to actively governing with purpose. Drawing on the January–February 2025 Harvard Business Review article, "How the Best Boards Engage with Management," this interactive session explores a simple but powerful framework that can transform the way charter school boards approach governance. Instead of treating every agenda item the same, participants will learn how high-performing boards intentionally shift among four distinct modes of engagement—Passive, Mentor, Partner, and Control—to provide the right level of oversight at the right time. Whether a new board member, a seasoned board chair, or a lead administrator supporting governance work, this session will provide practical tools to help every voice at the table contribute more meaningfully. Participants will leave with ideas they can immediately implement to design board meetings that are more engaging, focused, and impactful.
Presented by
Caitlin O'Halloran Hellar Governance and Policy Specialist Charter Schools Development Center
Caitlin O’Halloran Hellar is the Governance and Policy Specialist at CSDC. Caitlin leads CSDC's development and delivery of matters relating to governance, policy, and other charter school leadership topics. In 2004, Caitlin co-founded the Dixon Montessori Charter School (DMCS). From 2013-2022 she served on the Dixon Unified School District Governing Board which authorizes DMCS. She served one term on the Advisory Commission on Charter Schools and has been a workshop presenter at statewide educational conferences, a commentator on public radio, and the Woman of the Year for Senate District 03 in 2016.
