Unlocking Leadership: Obstacles and Opportunities for Improved Day School Volunteer Leadership

KC Media Type
Research
Knowledge Topics
Prizmah Thought Leadership, Research, Governance
Network to Learn
Deepening Talent
Catalyzing Resources
Educational Innovation

A substantial body of literature supports the claim that strong board leadership, and in particular, strong volunteer-professional partnerships, make a difference to the effectiveness of schools. This study seeks to understand how positive and productive volunteer-professional partnerships are cultivated and sustained in the Jewish day school sector, recognizing that the Jewish communal context is one where there are few if any degrees of separation between volunteers and professional leaders and between leaders and the communities they serve. This study has been designed to generate recommendations for how schools and Prizmah can enhance the contribution of volunteer leaders to the governance of schools.