School superintendents have many roles, and being responsible for collective bargaining is one of those roles in states where collective bargaining is mandatory. This role has changed over the years, and it varies from school district to school district. As teacher associations and unions have increased in number and strength, superintendents and…

Survey of selected sample of superintendents in three states (Indiana, Illinois, and Texas) about what they like about their jobs. Having a substantial impact on the direction of their school districts is the strongest reason the superintendents give for liking their jobs. Nearly 90 percent of the respondent superintendents rate their overall job…

The relationship between the board of education of a public school system and the school superintendent is extremely important to the functioning and progress of the system. First-time Ohio superintendents were surveyed at the end of their first and second years about their perceptions of their relationships with their boards of education (N=58).…

Beginning superintendents should reconsider before buying homes and settling into new communities. Today's superintendent, like the Old West hired gun, has a short, precarious tenure. Superintendents should be prepared, learn to recognize signs of trouble, quit while they're ahead, and keep their (metaphorical) bags packed. Board hostility is…

The superintendency has historically been vulnerable to high turnover. This paper presents findings of a study that examined the turnover among two groups of Illinois superintendents: those in school districts with severe financial problems, and those in districts without such problems. The purpose was to determine the relationship between…

All first-year Ohio superintendents were surveyed regarding their board of education relationships. The administrators were sent a questionnaire asking about the boards' trust and confidence in them, the nature and extent of board/superintendent communications, and the superintendents' job satisfaction. Of 63 questionnaires mailed out, 58 (92.1…

In spite of the many problems and challenges facing the superintendency, there are positive aspects of the job. The high degree of job satisfaction that superintendents report can only be accounted for by factors, issues, or challenges that are viewed as positive, not negative. This study surveyed superintendents to determine those aspects of the…

The most powerful position in public schools is that of school superintendent, and it is a position dominated by men. Several factors account for the decline of women in superintendency. Perhaps the most important reason there are so few women in the superintendency is that women enter the teaching profession to teach children. Based on the…

This report describes a study that examined the superintendency in American public schools. It begins with an overview of the current state of the superintendency, focusing on the pressures of the job, the high turnover rate among superintendents, and the lack of qualified candidates to fill openings. The report continues with a brief review of…

This paper presents findings of a study that examined the "health" of the superintendency as perceived by superintendents in two states. Questionnaires sent to 307 Illinois superintendents elicited 227 responses, a 74 percent response rate, and questionnaires sent to 137 Massachusetts principals yielded 104 responses, a 76 percent response rate.…

As teacher associations and unions have increased in number and strength, superintendents and education boards have had to devote more time to the process of negotiations. In the winter and spring of 1989, 400 questionnaires were mailed to a random national sample of school superintendents to examine the following areas dealing with negotiations…

This paper describes Illinois' program for warning school districts of impending financial troubles and the reactions of superintendents to the state's "early warning" program. In February 192, the State of Illinois issued a list of 111 school districts, out of a total of 946 districts, that were on the Financial Watch list. Of…

Two studies investigated the involuntary turnover of small-town school superintendents. The studies involved interviewing county superintendents and examining state financial records from Illinois. Results indicated that it was personal and political conflicts that most often dictated the high superintendent turnover (both voluntary and…

This report documents a study that examined the current financial picture of public education in 2003. Data for the study were collected from 188 surveys of selected school superintendents in Indiana, Illinois, and Texas. The superintendents were asked how the financial condition of their state and their school districts compared to a few years…

The tenure of a typical superintendent is less than 4 years. What should a prospective superintendent know about conducting a job search? This book examines the superintendency from a personal viewpoint and provides in-depth guidance on career strategies and family considerations. Chapter 1 describes the history of the superintendency and the…