The systemic changes in the education policy landscape in England under the academies reform movement have nurtured a growing prevalence of educational organisations such as Multi-Academy Trusts (MATs) operating as meso-level institutional actors that shape the implementation of policies and mediate between social structures and individual…

In recent years, higher education has faced what seems like endless crises, controversies, and conflicts related to the COVID-19 pandemic, financial constraints, sexual assault, high staff and leadership turnover, admissions policy changes, questions about the value and import of higher education, and inequity and injustice. These difficulties…

This chapter reviews social and organizational theories that influence governance to contextualize new ways to think about the roles of boards of trustees. This chapter discusses how various organizational theories help define the roles of boards of trustees, the CEO, and other stakeholders with respect to governance. Using this backdrop, reforms…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore the role and leadership practices of executive leaders in English multi-academy trusts (MATs) considering the meaning of system-level leadership and its perceived impact on schools' improvement processes, conditions and culture. Design/methodology/approach: This paper was guided by an ecological…

This investigative report found that a "history of failed governance" at the Peter Wall Institute for Advanced Studies (PWIAS) contributed to challenges around academic freedom raised by former PWIAS Director Philippe Tortell when he resigned in 2018. Tortell alleged that the Board of Trustees of the PWIAS and the University of British…

This report provides research and practical advice on how boards of trustees can influence diversity, equity, and inclusion practices and policies. The report argues that boards must be strategically woven into the conversation in order to guide intentional changes to policies, practices, procedures, behaviors, and attitudes towards racial equity.

Long Bay College places a strong emphasis on effective change leadership and trust to foster a responsive and innovative teaching environment. Founded in 1975 into what was then a rural area, the College now serves approximately 1,800 students in a suburban setting. By embracing the autonomy granted by New Zealand's 1989 Tomorrow's Schools reform,…

In the first half of 2007, Catholic Education an Irish Schools Trust (CEIST) was established when several Religious Congregations handed trusteeship of their schools to a lay company. As CEIST--in the Irish language the word 'CEIST' means 'question'--completes 10 years serving the needs of its 110 secondary schools, it seems an appropriate time to…

For years, ACTA warned of a looming crisis in higher education, and with it, a crisis for our nation. It is writ large in runaway college costs, civic ignorance, a skills deficit that frustrates employers, and the breakdown in the discourse that is the lifeblood of a free society. But from its inception, ACTA has been more than a warning bell in…

Trustees span the boundaries between universities and their environments, and therefore may connect universities to other organizations. We use social networks and latent profile analyses to chart changes in the affiliations that trustees of AAU member universities maintained with other organizations from 1975 through 2015. Results identify a…

The Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges (AGB) 2018 Trustee Index is the second annual survey of college and university board members about those issues they see as the most pressing facing the sector and the institutions they serve. This AGB survey, conducted in collaboration with Gallup, engaged trustees from across the…

There has been a large-scale structural reform of schooling in England during the 21st Century; new 'academy schools' have emerged, the organisation of which differs to schooling in the latter half of the 20th Century. These new schools are independent of the middle tier of local government, the Local Authority, and are often grouped within a…

New waves of change are upon American colleges and universities. Among other things, shifts in student demographics, federal higher education policy changes, and the continuing rise of new education providers are putting pressure on institutions to adapt in order to ensure their effectiveness and, in some cases, survival. The imperative to adapt…

This paper discusses participation in the pre-university education sector by reviewing three stakeholders: Local communities, the Boards of Trustees (BOTs) and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), their contributions to the sector, and their main challenges that prevent them from realizing more significant impacts from the perspectives of…

The 2007 Bondar Report, "Shaping Our Schools, Shaping Our Future," generated a vision for environmental curricula in Ontario. It has been the basis for the mandated framework introduced in 2009 by the Ministry of Education for environmental education (EE) in all Ontario schools. Based on our research and personal reflections, this paper…