Consulting is a rough racket. Only a tarantula hair above IRS agents, meter maids and used car sales people, the profession is a prickly burr for slings and arrows. Throw in education, focus on dysfunctional schools and call oneself a "change agent," and this bad rap all but disappears. Unfortunately, though, consulting/coaching/mentoring in…

Small, rural school districts face a special challenge when implementing the next generation of academic standards known as the Common Core State Standards. This is the task facing the instructional consultants with the Tulare County Office of Education. The county, located in central California with its dominant agricultural economy, has 45…

A special breed of superintendents who have developed expertise in a particular area find ways of sharing it in other venues as outside consultants. They pull extra duty to put their special skills into practice, to give back to their communities, to stay current and grounded in the field, or to enhance their professional reputations. They teach…

Researchers, policymakers, and practitioners agree that improving the content and delivery of teachers' professional development is essential to improving student achievement. But innovative solutions do not magically appear out of the mental soup of what educators already know about instruction and its improvement. While school districts are…

Serving as superintendent, going into his 24th year, the author has completed hundreds of applications and interviewed for nearly a hundred superintendencies. He has accepted seven superintendencies and, in more than 20 instances, have declined offers or withdrawn from consideration after being interviewed. This cumulative experience has produced…

In this article, the author describes the ways in which a statistical consultant can help with projects. He gives advice on how to choose a statistical consultant and when to call a one. Sections in this article include: (1) Choosing a Consultant; (2) Clear Expectations; and (3) Desirable Qualities. The author directs that one should choose a…

Presents a technology-planning framework for administrators that facilitates development of a strategic plan. The process includes planning the planning, benchmarking the current status of district technology use, envisioning future trends, identifying stakeholders' needs and wants, developing the technology model, identifying resource…

Describes career changes and retirement choices made by outgoing "career" superintendents. Choices ranged from teaching and consulting to administering philanthropic organizations and launching a charter-boat business. (MLH)

When selecting diversity consultants, administrators should supervise hiring decisions, recognize that cheaper is not better, realize that good writers are not always good speakers, avoid interest-group advocates lacking political savvy, discourage consultants with destructive/disrespectful approaches, and accept partial responsibility for…

The superintendent search consultant is employed by the board of education and must always act in the board's best interest. Boards want consultants to be friendly and courteous, provide information, and foster an aura of good feeling with candidates and the board. Candidates should receive accurate information, selection criteria briefings,…

School leaders should realize that consultants cannot substitute for developing collective actions within the organization. The "Consultant from Oz Syndrome" stems from placing undue confidence in external sources, confusing consultants with magicians, and denying their limitations. While journeying down the yellow brick road of…

A retired superintendent decided to become an educational consultant. A thorough self-assessment convinced him that speaking in front of groups and running training sessions constituted a perfect occupation. After attending a National Speakers Association meeting, he learned entrepreneurial and self-marketing skills that have paid off handsomely.…

A consultant eager to involve a southern Minnesota community in school reform recognized that most parents were simply too busy to participate. Since public involvement was unattainable, community permission for change might suffice. The process resembles a thoughtful, managed conversation that is interactive, organic, and ongoing. (MLH)

Search consultants' acceptance of women as school leaders does not go far enough. There is too much focus on individual women's competence and choices as determinants of success. The American ideology of individualism conceals the systemic barriers that women face when attempting to achieve powerful and coveted positions. Boards should choose…

During the past 30 years, the author has served as a management consultant to companies that wanted to achieve revolutionary change to become more successful. He has worked with companies as small as 100 employees and as large as General Motors, IBM and Amgen, the world's largest biotechnology company. More recently he has worked (as a pro bono…