1. Purpose

The board should be clear about its purpose. This purpose should be compelling enough to motivate the board’s work, and not so specific that it becomes a rigid objective. The board’s purpose can certainly align with that of the school. The board should have a clear understanding of both the school’s purpose and its own.

2. "Real" Team

The board needs to be small enough to function as a team rather than a mere collection of people. It should ensure diversity of thought, which is easier to achieve if your board consists of individuals from various racial backgrounds, ages, professions, and relationships with the school.

3. Appropriate Team Members

The board must consist of people with the right skills, knowledge, and experience to allow the board to achieve the purpose it set for itself. In addition, and perhaps more importantly, every board member must possess the emotional intelligence to “play well in the sandbox.” Even a single board member who takes up too much airspace, does not listen well to others, or breaks the confidence of the boardroom can prevent the board from achieving its goals.

4. Sufficient Resources

The board must have sufficient resources to do its work. These resources are not monetary but rather the resources of time, space, and clarity of work to be done. The board must ensure that the time allocated for board and committee meetings is sufficient to get the important work done (without becoming overly focused on operations). The board must meet in a space that allows it to do its work effectively. (And at the risk of upsetting any number of apple carts, face-to-face meetings tend to be much more productive than virtual ones.) Finally, the board needs a clear understanding of what is expected of it.

5. Appropriate Structures

The board must create structures that allow it to keep track of the decisions it has made. It also must understand the current tasks that must be done, who is primarily responsible for getting them done, and the timelines involved. Often, boards make decisions and fail to deeply explore how those decisions will be implemented and who will be responsible -- board or staff. Boards should maintain an annual calendar and have all the information they need to function in one easily accessible place. Additionally, there should be structures in place to help board members understand their responsibilities and a mechanism to hold board members accountable when they are not meeting those responsibilities.

6. Performance Review

A strong board should assess its own performance on a regular basis, preferably quarterly. While that can be accomplished internally, it may also be helpful to have an outside coach work with the board to help improve its functioning. The board should also have regular discussions with the head to ensure both parties are pleased with how the relationship between the head and the board is unfolding.