High School Reform Task Force: ‘Governance Matters’ 

A new report, “Governance Matters: The School Board Guide to Reinvigorating High Schools,” is the result of more than a year of research and deliberation by the California School Board Association’s High School Reform Task Force.

The report, to be mailed to unified and high school boards and county offices of education, was prepared by a panel comprising six past, present and future CSBA presidents and a dozen school board members and school superintendents from around the state.

“The committee was carefully constructed to include the full spectrum of perspectives on high school reform. The resulting discussions were lively and constructive. The report is a synthesis of all the push-and-pull over high school reform, and it will provide readers with a mature understanding of what is important. It also is rich with examples of best practices. The bottom line is that comprehensive high schools continue to work well for most students, but much greater attention is needed for those students needing alternatives,” said task force chair David Pollock, 2003-04 president of CSBA and now senior director for program development on the association staff.

The report concludes that high school reform must be based on needs agreed upon by all critical stakeholders—from governance teams and school staff to the wider community—supported through staff training and professional development, with clear goals in terms of student achievement measured by specific indicators of success.