Making the Most Out of Your School Board Service: Connecting Governance to Outcomes

January 7, 2026

• Description

  On Wednesday, January 7, at 12:00 PM (CDT) KSBRC hosted the first session in our onboarding webinar series for new and returning school board members. Our kickoff session will feature Dr. Michael Ford, an experienced researcher and current school board member. Dr. Ford will discuss school board governance practices that make a meaningful impact on student learning. His presentation will outline how school boards can use effective governance to improve student outcomes, offering both evidence-based strategies and practical guidance to help newly elected, and experienced, school board members understand their responsibilities and make the most of their service. Panelist: Dr. Michael Ford is the EAA C.R. Meyer Endowed Professor of Public Administration at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh (UWO) and the Director of the Whitburn Center for Governance and Policy Research. He has published over 40 peer reviewed articles on public and nonprofit governance, and one peer reviewed book on education policy. In addition to his roles at UWO, he serves on the Oshkosh Area School District School Board and previously served two terms on the Oshkosh Common Council. He also writes monthly columns for the Public Administration Times and the Oshkosh Herald. His work on school board governance has been featured in a variety of media, including the Washington Post, the Houston Chronicle, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the Associated Press, and Wisconsin Public Radio. Prior to joining Academia Ford served as a Research Associate and Vice President of Operations for School Choice Wisconsin (2004 – 2011), and Research Director for the Wisconsin Policy Research Institute (2011 – 2013). He holds an undergraduate degree in Political Science from Marquette University, a Masters of Political Science from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and a Ph.D. in Urban Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.