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Principles of Good Practice for Member Schools
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS The NAIS Principles of Good Practice for Member Schools define high standards and ethical behavior in key areas of independent school operations -- admission, fund-raising, financial and business management, instruction, governance, and headship. The impetus for creating and publishing the principles can be found in the NAIS mission statement, which commits the association to articulating and promoting high standards of educational quality and ethical behavior for its membership. Each set of principles is drafted by an NAIS committee of practitioners in that professional area, submitted to the NAIS Board of Directors for approval, then distributed to every member school. The collected NAIS Principles of Good Practice for Member Schools reflect the overall dedication to quality education that has always characterized independent schools. A.
Principles of Good Practice for Independent School Trustees The following principles of good practice are set forth to provide a common perspective on the responsibilities of individual members of independent school boards. 1. A trustee actively supports and promotes the school's mission. 2. A trustee is knowledgeable about the school's mission and goals as well as current operations and issues. 3. A trustee attends meetings well prepared and participates fully in all matters. 4. The board sets policy; the administration implements policy. An individual trustee does not become involved in specific management, personnel, or curricular issues. 5. A trustee accepts and supports board decisions and respects board confidentiality. 6. A trustee guards against conflict of interest, whether business-related or personal. The trustee takes care to separate the interests of the school from the specific needs of a particular child or constituency. 7. A trustee has the responsibility to support the school and its head and to demonstrate that support within the community. 8. Authority is vested in the board as a whole. A trustee who learns of an issue has the obligations to bring it to the head of school, or to the board chair, and must not deal with the situation individually. 9. A trustee contributes to the development program of the school, including financial support and active involvement in annual and capital giving. 10. Each trustee, as well as the treasurer and finance committee, has fiduciary responsibility to the school for sound financial management. B. Principles of Good Practice for Boards of Trustees The board is the guardian of the school's mission. It is the board's responsibility to ensure that the mission is appropriate, relevant, and vital to the community it serves. The board monitors the success of the school in fulfilling its mission. The following principles of good practice are set forth to provide a common perspective on the responsibilities of independent school boards. The board and the head work in partnership in fulfilling these principles. 1. The board prepares a clear statement of the school's mission and objectives. 2. The board reviews and maintains bylaws, and establishes policies and plans: consistent with the mission. 3. The board is accountable for the financial well-being of the school, including capital assets, operating budgets, fund-raising, and endowments. 4. The board selects, supports, and nurtures the head. 5. The board, or committee of the board, conducts a written annual evaluation of the performance of the head and works with the head to establish goals for the following year. 6. The board evaluates itself annually and establishes goals for the following year. 7. The board keeps full and accurate records of its meetings, committees, and policies. 8. The board works to ensure all its members are actively involved in the work of the board and its committees. 9. The composition of the board reflects a balance of expertise and perspectives needed to achieve the mission of the school. 10. The board develops itself through new trustee orientation, ongoing education, and leadership succession planning. 11. The board assures compliance with applicable laws and regulations and minimizes exposure to legal action. PACIFIC
NORTHWEST ASSOCIATION OF INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS A.
Principles of Good Practice for Heads The head of an independent school as educational and moral leader is responsible for enabling the school community to achieve the school’s mission. Although NAIS acknowledges differences in styles of leadership and school operation, it nevertheless offers the following principles of good practice to provide a common perspective on this responsibility. 1. The head, with the board of trustees, shapes and upholds the school’s mission, goals, and standards and articulates them to the school’s constituencies and to the wider community. 2. The head is responsible for attracting well-qualified faculty and staff members and for retaining them through equitable compensation plans, sound staff development and evaluations programs, and concern for their status within the school and in the larger community. 3. The head works with the staff to examine the needs of students and to put in place programs and policies to meet those needs. 4. The head, ultimately responsible for all administrative decisions and actions, regularly involves members of the administration and faculty in decision making and evaluation. 5. The head is accessible, within reason, and responsive to all constituencies- faculty, parents, students, and graduates- and in particular ensures that parents are kept informed about the school’s policies, programs, and the progress of their children. 6. The head oversees the well-being of the entire school, rather than any individual constituency, and works to help all constituencies to see the school as apart of a network of local, state, regional and national organizations concerned with educational issues and excellence. 7. The head, as steward of the school’s resources, is responsible for prudent budgeting and financial management, maintenance of the physical plant, review and long-range planning, and fund-raising. 8. The head is alert to changing patterns in the local community, especially those that may affect enrollment or diversity within the school, and ensures that admission and hiring policies adhere to the school’s written policies on nondiscrimination and due process. 9. The head asks the trustees for an annual evaluation. As part of board development, the head ensures that trustees evaluate the school periodically on its operation in relation to stated goals and mission and that they review their own functioning as board. 10. The head finds ways to become part of a network of peers who can provide personal support and professional assistance. 11. The head cooperates with heads of other independent schools to ensure that good relations among schools are protected, especially in the four sensitive areas of admission, marketing, faculty recruitment, and fund-raising. |
©French Immersion School of Washington 1999-2007 Last Modified: May 10, 2007 |
