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Student Outcomes Do Not Change Until Adult Behaviors Change: Effective Scool Board Governance - AJ Crabill

In every school district, there comes a moment when leaders must pause and ask the most essential question: Why do school systems exist? Not as organizations bound by rules or politics, but as systems responsible for shaping the minds and futures of children.


In a powerful discussion, National Governance Coach AJ Crabill, author of Great on Their Behalf and Our Tools They Deserve, brought this question to the forefront and challenged every adult who influences education to return to purpose. He reminds us that the purpose of a school system is not to operate programs, manage buildings, or serve adult preferences. It is to improve what students know and are able to do. When that purpose is lost, the system begins to serve itself rather than its students.


Crabill emphasizes that clarity of purpose is the foundation of effective leadership. When the goal is clear, the path forward becomes focused, decisions become intentional, and distractions lose their power.


He encourages leaders to ask difficult questions:


  • Are our policies and resources aligned with student outcomes?

  • Do our agendas and conversations reflect that focus?

  • Are we disciplined enough to keep students at the center when adult pressures rise?


Leadership without clarity becomes reactive. Leadership with clarity becomes transformative.


He explains that school boards exist to protect this purpose. Their role is not to manage daily operations but to govern with vision and accountability. Effective boards represent the values and aspirations of the community and ensure those values are reflected in what students experience. School boards set goals, define guardrails (constraints in Texas) and monitor progress toward those goals, not for compliance, but for continuous improvement. A board’s success is not measured by how much time it spends on adult concerns such as contracts, facilities, or schedules. A board’s success is measured by how consistently it measures student growth and learning.


At the heart of Crabill’s message is a truth many overlook: policies do not change outcomes. Adult behavior does. What board members talk about, how they spend their time, and what they choose to prioritize communicates their real commitment. When meetings revolve around adult convenience, students are forgotten. When leaders dedicate their time to monitoring progress, aligning resources, and asking better questions, a shift begins to happen. “Student outcomes do not change until adult behaviors change,” Crabill often says. This statement moves leadership from authority to accountability. It calls every adult in the system to lead with integrity, discipline, and humility.


Effective leadership, Crabill reminds us, is not accidental. It is the intentional alignment between what we believe and what we do. Boards are mirrors of their communities. They reflect the priorities, values, and expectations of the people they represent. If the reflection shows confusion or distraction, the answer is not another policy or initiative. It is to return to purpose. True transformation begins when leaders look inward, recalibrate their focus, and recommit to the mission of student success.


Crabill’s message reminds us that governance is more than oversight. It is the discipline of aligning every adult action with student success. Clarity creates focus. Focus shapes behavior. Behavior drives outcomes. The strength of any district is not measured by how well adults manage but by how well students learn. And perhaps the most powerful reflection Crabill leaves us with is this: “Once we understand why systems exist, the next question is how well they are doing what they were designed to do.” That question challenges every board, leader, and community member to look beyond intention and measure impact. Purpose without practice is only words, and leadership without focus is only noise. When we lead with clarity, discipline, and love for every student, transformation stops being an idea. It becomes the standard.


🎥 Watch the full conversation with AJ Crabill: https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1CS62SnMq2/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Our Tools They Deserve: Why Adults Choose Retribution, How Students Can Practice Restoration https://www.amazon.com/Our-Tools-They-Deserve-Retribution/dp/196401445X/


 
 
 

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