Establishing and Leveraging the Expertise of Advisory Boards

Courtney et al. (2021) wrote a how-to guide. They show ABA owners how to build an advisory board that actually works.

The paper gives three clear steps. First, check if your group can handle a board. Second, pick the right people. Third, keep them busy with real tasks.

The guide is short and practical. It fits on one page.

No data were collected. Instead, the authors share a blueprint they have used in their own agencies.

Cihon et al. (2018) built an international team. They warn that culture clashes can kill a group. Courtney repeats the warning and adds a quick culture screen to the member-selection step.

LeBlanc et al. (2016) fixed weak supervision. They pushed for clear roles and meeting rules. Courtney copies that idea and writes a sample agenda for every board meeting.

Gravina et al. (2019) scaled the Teaching-Family Model. They showed that big change needs leader coaching. Courtney nods to this by telling owners to train the board chair first.

You can launch a board in one month. Run the feasibility check next week. Invite two parents, one teacher, and one payer. Give them a 30-minute data update each month and ask where staff training is slipping. This tiny move can save your funding and keep your staff sharp.