Leadership TASB

Mission Statement  

Leadership TASB inspires school board trustees to be proactive, visionary leaders who promote educational excellence for all children in Texas public schools.  

In today's environment of high academic expectations and high-stakes accountability, Texas school boards must have the knowledge, skills, and resources to address multiple, urgent challenges. School boards are on the front line of this work, and research points to the critical role they play in creating conditions for improving student achievement outcomes.  

Leadership TASB, a program of the Board Development Services, examines best practices, and research-based techniques for leading school improvement efforts through policy, collaboration, and community engagement. This program provides participants with an in-depth exploration of leadership skills through immersive experiences designed to inform and engage education leaders as they continue setting and achieving high expectations, thereby leading to better educational outcomes for all Texas public school students.  

Goals  

• Serve as a catalyst for mentoring and networking among school board trustees.  
• Develop a sustained professional network by engaging with your class through peer coaching and learning.  
• Cultivate the skills and habits that improve team effectiveness and foster a supportive culture of improvement.  
• Practice using a series of inquiry protocols to bring back to your district.  
• Gain insight into working more effectively as a board member of a Texas public school district while balancing internal and external leadership roles.  
• Heighten knowledge of and influence policy on state and national education issues.  
• Acquire strategies for communicating and engaging with the community.  
• Examine the beliefs, cultural shifts, and policy development strategies needed to promote high student achievement.  

 Program Outcomes  

• Expand awareness of the educational successes and concerns of the changing and complex educational landscape in Texas for the benefit of all public schoolchildren.   
• Become constructive, informed, and articulate agents of change including, but not limited to, advocating at all levels of government where public policy decisions are made.  
• Develop the skills required to be an effective member of a team and to ensure strategic goal planning and policy implementation, utilizing and collaborating with a network of colleagues from around the state.  
• Model the ideal of ethical leadership by encouraging, empowering, and mentoring others to support the ongoing programs of LTASB.  
• Experience and explore alternative learning methodologies because true leaders are also lifelong learners.  
• Increase personal involvement in state and local activities that contribute to the growth and enhancement of school board trusteeship. 

Those selected to participate in an LTASB cohort commit to the traditionally yearlong program, which consists of five sessions over the course of the year, each lasting two to three days and typically being held Thursday, Friday, and a half-day on Saturday. The program begins in the fall at the TASA | TASB Convention and concludes in June at the Summer Leadership Institute (SLI). Sessions are held around the state.  

Eligibility  

Leadership TASB is a highly selective program with cohorts limited to a maximum of 36 trustees each year. To be eligible for participation in Leadership TASB, applicants must:  

1. Be currently serving on an Active Member school board for the preceding 18 months.  
2. Have proof of completing the minimum required training at the last statutorily required reporting period. 
3. Have demonstrated leadership ability on their board and in their community.  

Selection Process  

The TASB president will appoint an ad hoc Selection Committee each year from Leadership TASB graduates. Identities of the committee members will remain confidential. All applications will be processed and reviewed by the Selection Committee at a meeting in July.  

At its meeting, the Committee will select a maximum of 36 class members and up to four alternates from the group of applicants. When more than one person from a school board applies, applicants from other school boards should be given priority consideration before the Committee considers selecting two individuals from the same school board. Selection will be based on the following criteria:   

• Commitment to the goals of the program  
• Commitment to personal growth  
• Commitment to board service as a means of improving student performance   
• Leadership contributions to the local board   
• Levels and types of participation in school board-related activities outside the local district (TASB activities, area association activities, etc.)   
• Levels and types of participation in other organizations within the local community    

2025 Class Schedule

• Sept. 25-28, 2024, San Antonio, txEDCON24
• Nov. 13-16, El Paso
• Feb. 19-22, 2025, Austin
• April 9-12, 2025, Brazos and the Research Valley
• June 18-20, 2025, Annual TASB Summer Leadership Institute, Fort Worth ─ Graduation

Past Participants  

More than 1,000 board members — and counting — have gone through Leadership TASB since its start in 1993, and the alumni rave about its life-changing impact. View past class rosters.