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The Broad Institute for School
Boards
A Project Funded by The Broad
Foundation
The Broad Institute for School Boards is an annual week-long
institute for newly elected or appointed board members from the
nation’s largest urban school districts. The Institute provides
new school board members with an induction experience that will
help them become effective board leaders for reform. The
Institute focuses sharply on the theory and practice of urban
school district improvement and the policy-level roles and
responsibilities of urban school board members.
The Institute is organized around four major themes:
governance, politics, whole-systems change and theories of
action for change. These themes run through all major issues
facing boards and are usually intertwined. The core of the
curriculum is case studies on urban governance and reform.
Institute Fellows also work through sessions that simulate
board issues; participate in small group discussions; and learn
research, context and history of education policy through a
series of short “Urban Education 101” workshops.
Board members attend as guests of The Broad Foundation. The
Broad Foundation is a Los Angeles-based entrepreneurial
grant-making organization, established in 1999 by Eli and Edythe
Broad. The Broad Foundation’s mission is to dramatically improve
K-12 urban public education through better governance,
management and labor relations.
Mission, Beliefs, and Vision
The mission of The Broad Institute for School Boards is to
improve the governance and reform leadership of urban school
boards. The Broad Institute believes a commitment to equity is
the core commitment of a democratic society, and in today’s
information economy, equity means that all children must learn
at high levels. We believe that urban school districts can and
must accept responsibility for the learning of all children and
that improving urban school districts is the most effective way
to create good schools for all children.
We also believe that boards of education must accept
responsibility for reform leadership. We recognize that
effective governance does not guarantee these outcomes. Closing
the achievement gap requires a national commitment and the
alignment of all those working to educate children. But without
good governance, the achievement gap will never be closed.
Our vision is that The Broad Institute will become the
premier center for improving urban school governance; that newly
elected and appointed board members will prize above all other
induction opportunities the opportunity to become Broad Fellows;
and that Broad Fellows will help provide the essential reform
leadership to transform America’s urban school districts.
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