Washington State School Directors' Association

Serving Washington State's
1,477 Locally Elected
School Board Members

WSSDA
221 College St. NE
Olympia WA 98516
Location Map
Tel: 360/493-9231
Fax: 360/493-9247
E-Mail:
mail@wssda.org
Martharose Laffey
Executive Director
Sue Brand
Webmaster
Staff Directory
Office Hours:
8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
(Pacific Time)
Monday thru Friday
 
WSSDA Publications

The following is a list of manuals and handbooks offered by the Washington State School Directors' Association. If you don't see the materials you are looking for, please contact the WSSDA office at 360/493-9231 or mail@wssda.org. For information on subscription services, see Policy News, School Law Digest, and On Call.

In most instances, free publications are available in Portable Document Format (PDF). To view and download these files, you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, available free from the Adobe Web site.
 

Achieving Small School Success in Washington State
Identifies challenges and strengths of educating students in small districts; also outlines background information and makes recommendations for the future of education reform in Washington state in several key areas, including equity of funding, program support, staffing, flexibility/adaptability and facilities. Includes case studies in three small districts: Index, Klickitat and Steilacoom Historical.
  Available
in PDF
Avoiding Conflicts of Interest: A Guide for School Board Members and Superintendents
(Revised 2007)
Reviews basic conflict of interest issues, with emphasis on structuring district policies and board practices to comply with state law when board members or superintendents have an ongoing personal financial interest in their district's operations.
  Available
in PDF
Closing the Achievement Gap: A Policy Action Guide for Washington State's School Directors
Award Winner - National School Public Relations Association
Contains background, findings, and key policy recommendations from a 22-month study conducted by the WSSDA Ad Hoc Achievement Gap Task Force
  Available
in PDF
Cultural Diversity in School: A Guide for School Board Members and School Administrators
Award Winner - National School Public Relations Association

By Gregory Eliyu Guldin, Ph.D., WSSDA Diversity Consultant.  A comprehensive guide to providing a supportive and inclusive learning environment for all children. Contains an orientation to diversity, background information on multicultural education, language minorities, and ethnicity/disproportionality, and recommendations on making positive changes.
  $25 ea. ($20 ea. for orders of 5 or more)
 To order, contact Marilee Scarbrough
or use the order form in PDF
NEW! Data Dashboards for School Directors: Using Data for Accountability and Student Achievement.
Developed by WSSDA's Student Achievement Task Force, this publication is designed to help school boards strengthen their skills in using data to make decisions related to improving student achievement.
  Available
in PDF
The Evaluation Process: Board Self Assessment and Superintendent Evaluation
A complete “how to” manual for developing your board’s own self-assessment and the superintendent’s evaluation. Shows how these tasks are part of an overall process that leads to a clear understanding of the expectations and the annual focus for both the school board and the superintendent. Provides several sample instruments for each area, legal citations and a sample superintendent contract.
  $43.31 ($39.95 plus tax)
 To order, contact Connie Lauderdale
(Tel. 360/493-9231)
Governing Through Policy: A Guide for School Board Members
Policy defines the board’s vision for the district, the structure for accomplishing the vision, and the system of accountability for all involved in realizing the vision. This 18-page guide gives school board members an overview of this critical area of district governance.
  Available
in PDF
Guide to Parliamentary Procedures
Compiled by WSSDA Parliamentary Consultant Mary Randolph. Covers essential parliamentary procedures for school boards in the state of Washington.
  Available
in HTML
Open Public Meetings: A Guide for School Board Members and Superintendents
(Revised 2007)
Focuses on provisions of the State Open Public Meetings Act, and addresses other legal requirements and nonlegal issues surrounding effective and responsible public meetings.
  Available
in PDF
The Role of School Boards in Improving Student Achievement
In this era of education reform and increased accountability, it’s essential that everyone involved in public education understand and recognize the vital role of school boards in improving student achievement — especially school directors themselves. That’s why WSSDA has produced a position paper detailing the unique responsibilities of school boards and their pivotal role in sustaining continuous improvement in student learning.
  Available
in PDF
Serving on Your Local School Board: A Guide to Effective Leadership
For new and prospective school board members. Topics include the governance role of school boards, the board-superintendent relationship, leadership techniques, ethics, employee relations, legal requirements, and education reform. 
  Available
in PDF
Serving on Your Local School Board: A Guide for Candidates
Covers fundamentals of school board service, candidate filing requirements, election procedures.  (Not a guide to campaigning). 
  Available
in HTML
Superintendent Search
Information and advice on seeking, recruiting, interviewing and hiring a superintendent. Addresses topics such as selecting a consultant, setting a timeline, involving parents, citizens, students and staff, screening applications, conducting interviews, and negotiating a contract. Also includes sample worksheets, model policies on the board-superintendent relationship and superintendent evaluations, and a model superintendent contract.
Hard copy: $12.50 + Tax Available
in PDF
Targeting Student Learning
Explore key components to effective school board policymaking and policy topics targeted on student learning.
  For prices and
ordering information,
contact Linda Lowery
Washington School Bond Manual
The result of a partnership between WSSDA and Seattle-Northwest Securities Corporation. Provides critical information to those involved in financing education in the state of Washington. A helpful resource for districts in maneuvering the essential process of planning for bond measures.
Hard copy: $15.00 + Tax
Discount on orders of 25 manuals or more
For ordering information,
contact  Linda Lowery
 

 Copyright © 2008 Washington State School Directors' Association
221 College St. NE • Olympia, WA 98512 • 360/493-9231

 

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Adobe Acrobat Reader, available free from the Adobe Web site