The Virginia School Boards Association (VSBA) is offering in-depth training available to your school division focused on important issues concerning school board service. The VSBA Master Board Program emphasizes team and trust building, communications, managing change, ethics, and working together as a team to benefit every child in your school division. The training will be held in your local division or a location of your choice. The sessions are five to six hours in length and will be facilitated by an experienced trainer. The core sessions include; Building Our Team Part I, Building Our Team Part II, Improving Communication Part I, and Improving Communication Part II. Once all four courses are completed, the School Board will be designated a “VSBA Master Board” and recognized at the VSBA Annual Convention. Certificates after the completed course will also be provided.

<b>Core Courses</b>

<i>Building Our Team Part I
</i>This course serves as the foundational course for the VSBA’s Master Board program. Board members will identify characteristics of effective teams and examine the board’s style as individual team members.

<i>Building Our Team Part II</i>
The course reviews the definition of a team and explores the importance of trust as well as factors that influence trust. Participants will explore means of increasing board/team effectiveness.

<i>Improving Communication Part I: Listening and Understanding
</i>A key component of team work is communication. This course will provide board members with the opportunity to explore difficulties in and barriers to effective communication as well as essential conditions for effective communication.

<i>Improving Communication Part II: Responding and Behaving
</i>A follow-up to Part I, Part II will focus on the proper ways to provide feedback and respond to questions and comments. This course will also cover board behaviors and how to build a strong board through communication.

For more information regarding the VSBA Master Board Program please contact Tom Brewster, Assistant Executive Director, at 1-800-446-8722 or <a href="mailto:tom@vsba.org">tom@vsba.org</a>.