About the Book
Essential strategies for school trustees and superintendents.
Addressing the urgent challenges of school leadership in our divided, post-pandemic landscape, The Governance Core 2.0 is an essential guide for school trustees and superintendents dedicated to making a meaningful difference in their districts. Davis Campbell, Michael Fullan, and Babs Kavanaugh provide useful tools and techniques to improve local governance culture, emphasizing the importance of collaboration between board members, district leaders, and school staff to support the success and wellbeing of every student.
This thoroughly updated edition is now structured around three pillars–Governance Mindset, Governance Culture, and Governance Infrastructure–providing a comprehensive framework that addresses the core principles and responsibilities of effective school governance. Additional features include:
- Practical strategies for fostering collaboration, onboarding new trustees, and leading transformative change in a school district
- New real-world examples of effective board governance
- A board planning calendar and self-evaluation tools
- A new "Suggestions for Implementation" section to support the application of lessons from the book
Offering guidance on developing a shared moral imperative and systems thinking and establishing clear norms and protocols, this book is a necessary resource for both new and experienced trustees, superintendents, and district leaders.
Table of Contents:
Introduction: Politics, Governance, and System Improvement
Chapter 1: Moral Imperative and the Governance Core
Pillar I: Governance Mindset
Chapter 2: The Governance Mindset
Chapter 3: The Governance Mindset in Action
Chapter 4: Onboarding: Welcoming New Trustees
Pillar II: Governance Culture
Chapter 5: Governing Coherence and Synergy
Chapter 6: The Governance Responsibilities of the Board
Pillar III: Governance Infrastructure
Chapter 7: Governance Infrastructure
Chapter 8: Governance Tools
Chapter 9: New Pathways
About the Author :
Davis Campbell is the former Executive Director of the California School Boards Association and is Chair of the University of California Davis, School of Education Advisory Board and a Senior Fellow at the Center for Applied Policy in Education.
Campbell has a deep and broad background in public education. He served for 12 years in the California Department of Education, serving six of those as Deputy State Superintendent of Public Instruction in charge of all education programs. In 1988 he was appointed Executive Director of the California School Boards Association, serving in that capacity until his retirement in 2001. He has also served as an elected trustee on the Yolo County Board of Education. In 2020, Campbell was awarded the 2020 University of California Davis Alumni Association Distinguished Achievement Award.
Campbell maintains an active consulting practice in effective governance in education as well as nonprofit agencies at both the state and international level. In California, in addition to continuing education governance programs with school districts, Campbell has provided workshops for nonprofit organizations as well as governance workshops and presentations with cities, counties, and special districts. Campbell’s international work includes governance support for American and International schools in Madrid Spain (15 years), Barcelona Spain, Lisbon Portugal, Paris France, Rome and Milan Italy, Tunis Tunisia, Cairo Egypt and British Columbia Canada.
Michael Fullan, Order of Canada, is the former Dean of the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, and Professor Emeritus of the University of Toronto. He is co-leader of the New Pedagogies for Deep Learning global initiative. Michael served as Premier Dalton McGuinty’s Special Policy Adviser in Ontario from 2003-2013. He received the Order of Canada (OC) in December 2012 and holds five honorary doctorates from universities around the world. His ‘interim autobiography,’ Surreal Change, covers his pre-Covid-19 era to 2018. Michael and his colleagues are now working diligently on field-based comprehensive system change in several countries. Under the umbrella of what they call the ‘humanity paradigm’ —equitable-equal deep change that integrates local (school and community), middle (district/regional), and centre (policy) entities. Michael’s latest books are: Spirit Work and the Science of Collaboration (with Mark Edwards, 2022), The Principal 2.0 (2023), The Drivers (with Joanne Quinn, 2023), and The New Meaning of Educational Change, 6th Edition (2025).
For more information on books, articles, videos, podcasts please go to: www.michaelfullan.ca
Babs Kavanaugh has a diverse management background. She has over thirty years’ experience in organizational development. Her professional background includes: governance consultant and trainer; human resource director; marketing director; community health center executive director; and small business owner.
Babs began her consulting career in the U.S. health care system in 1992, focusing on community-based primary health care services, as executive director of a rural community health center in Point Reyes CA.
In 1999 Babs expanded her focus into the education system, joining the staff of the California School Boards Association (CSBA), as a governance trainer. She has worked with over 350 school districts throughout California, training school district governance teams in effective governance and leadership skills. She assists them in improving their organizational effectiveness, keeping the district’s efforts focused on all students’ learning, achievement, and well-being.
One important aspect woven through Babs’ work is the support of styles of communication and learning. Babs has a strong foundation as a trainer in conflict management, supporting organizations to strengthen their leadership skills and improve overall effectiveness. She works from the premise that mutual respect and trust are essential to the development of successful and cohesive teams. She believes that highly functional groups are systems unto themselves and that they flourish when the focus is on group relationships rather than on individuals. Her focus is on facilitating the flow of communication in which positive interactions become the norm rather than the exception.
Bring Babs Kavanaugh to your school or district! Learn more at babskavanaugh.com
Review :
In this important book, Campbell, Fullan, and Kavanaugh have filled a cavernous gap in the educational leadership. The
authors send the strong message that accountability is a two-way street. Providing explicit, practical, and applicable strategies, this book is a gift to the world of education and should be studied not only by board members, but also by legislators, city councilors, county commissions, and others who influence the funding and policies of schools.
The Governance Core 2.0 is a must-read with much needed examples and suggestions for improvement that address the challenges of heightened polarization across communities. Campbell, Fullan, and Kavanaugh are at the forefront of new developments in governance that help focus and
strengthen how we run schools. This book provides hope for humanity.
The Governance Core 2.0 offers much needed learning for trustees and boards as we work together to build optimal conditions for student achievement. Campbell, Fullan, and Kavanaugh provide guidance for locally elected boards to strengthen relationships between school boards and
superintendents while examining the critical balance between governance and operations.
This ground-breaking book calls on governing board members and superintendents to seize the moral and policy
high ground, develop a governance mindset, and commit to a focus on continuous improvement. It is filled with real world examples that illuminate important principles needed for effective governance.
Like an oasis in the desert, The Governance Core 2.0 is lifesaving for school board trustees, especially those without prior experience as elected officials. Campbell, Fullan, and Kavanaugh provide a true north that is reassuring and inspiring, helping board members learn about effective governance and how to coalesce and flourish together.
As a new superintendent I found this book to be incredibly valuable as our governance team navigated the creation of new district goals and a shared vision for our community.
The authors provide useful tools and techniques to improve local governance culture. One of my favorite themes is that
the power of governance rests with the board itself working as a coherent team. It is an easy-to-read guide for new trustees and a useful reminder to seasoned board members and superintendents.
Governance matters. This book is a must-read for districts trying to make a difference for all students. Students are best
served when board members, district leaders, and school staff work together for the betterment of every student. Campbell, Fullan, and Kavanaugh outline the key considerations that district leaders and board members should employ to support students’ success.
