I ran for the Houston ISD (200,000+ students) school board to make a difference.  Little did I know that it would take me over eight years to figure out how to do that.  At my first meeting, the senior members of the board slammed through a slate of officers.  I was so naive that I didn’t realize that this group had decided it all in advance.  I was on the outs and had no idea how to make my contribution.

As the president and CEO of the Center for Reform of School Systems, I am determined that no board member should waste eight years learning how to be an effective board member.  Actually, it is possible to begin contributing and even be a reformer from the first board meeting.