Making External Experts Work

School board members and superintendents face the reality of providing all students access to a quality education and carefully requesting and allocating public funds to finance excellent educational opportunities. One of the key resources available to boards and superintendents are external experts (consultants). This book uses a case study of one district’s experiences with external experts over a 14-year span. The district’s experiences with the six external experts are described in detail covering’ a wide range of topics, including governance and decision making, cultural diversity, finance, and school safety. Special emphasis is placed on lessons learned from each external expert and about the ways school leaders can facilitate the effectiveness of external experts. Relevant aspects of effective district leadership are discussed in depth, including the importance of understanding values and context, assessing need, using available internal resources, and superintendent professional development. Suggestions for board members, current superintendents, and aspiring superintendents are included, which focus on ways district leaders can improve their own performance and improve collaborative work between board members and administrators