Effective school boards are critical to the success of any school system. They set the district’s vision, mission, and goals and adopt policies that provide direction for meeting the institution’s goals, objectives, and strategic plan. Cognia, the premier school evaluation and improvement organization, has launched Cognia Board Governance Certification to evaluate and certify the effectiveness of school boards.

With effective ongoing training, clearly defined roles, and effective collaboration, school boards are better equipped to navigate conflict constructively, allowing them to stay focused on student learning and drive school improvement.

Cognia Board Governance Certification helps school boards focus on what matters most – student learning. The certification process recognizes the effectiveness of school boards and signifies to parents, educators, and the public that their local school board meets high standards of governance. The certification can be earned by Cognia-accredited school systems and non-public, charter, and international schools.

“There are many times that Cognia has been called in through the accreditation process or by school boards themselves to help overcome key governance challenges that are barriers to improving student learning,” notes Cognia President and CEO Dr. Mark A. Elgart. “The new certification goes miles beyond certifying the skills to run an effective board meeting and is designed to ensure effective and appropriate oversight, collaboration, and to help districts make greater progress in achieving their learning goals.”

The new certification goes miles beyond certifying the skills to run an effective board meeting and is designed to ensure effective and appropriate oversight, collaboration, and to help districts make greater progress in achieving their learning goals.

Four key quality characteristics

Cognia Board Governance Certification supports school boards in demonstrating their commitment to learners by having them collaborate with leaders to uphold their institution’s priorities and to drive continuous improvement.

Effective school boards work together to make sound decisions based on data and focus on whatever can be done to help support student success. In my work with hundreds of school boards, I have found that it is particularly important for school boards to develop communication skills tailored to understanding the needs of constituents and young people. There must be a focus on two-way communication, which includes receiving stakeholder input and feedback, collaborating with key constituencies, and working together to advance the district’s goals.

Four key characteristics are evident when institutions effectively adopt Cognia Board Governance Certification Standards and engage in Cognia’s peer review process for effective board governance and continuous improvement.

The characteristics evident in effective boards include:

  • Culture of Learning: the ability of the school board to create a broad and welcoming culture, inclusive of stakeholder feedback, and focused on the institution’s success in improving learning
  • Leadership for Learning: the ability to understand their role in effective governance, including oversight of the institution’s strategic direction, ensuring long-term financial stability, and establishing policies that align with governmental and legal requirements
  • Engagement of learning: the support of open communication with institution staff, members of the community, and policymakers to ensure varied perspectives are considered in decision-making and partnerships are established to support the institution’s mission and vision
  • Growth in learning: the ability to use academic and non-academic learner performance data to make decisions that improve each learner’s educational results and experience

Framework for improvement

School board members begin the certification process by completing a self-assessment about how their board performs against 10 standards and gathering feedback about their performance from school leaders and community members. Experts from Cognia examine a broad range of evidence across all standards, conduct an engagement review, and write an official report identifying governing strengths and areas for improvement. Even the most effective school boards will find areas for improvement.

For more information about how your school board can pursue Cognia Board Governance Certification, contact us.

Andre Harrison, Ed.D.
André L. Harrison, Ed.D. is the Senior Vice President of Accreditation Services at Cognia, overseeing accreditation for over 40,000 institutions worldwide. With a career spanning roles from teacher to superintendent, he brings deep expertise in educational leadership, board governance, finance, and school improvement. He has supported institutions globally in their continuous improvement efforts and has trained governing boards across the U.S. and Latin America. Dr. Harrison also serves as an adjunct assistant professor at the University of Alabama and is a published author, most recently co-authoring The Alabama School Finance Handbook for use in superintendent training and university leadership courses. Dr. Harrison received his doctoral degree from Auburn University.

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