Politically charged education issues roiled the 2022 races for seats on state boards of education, yet none of the boards flipped partisan control. However, majority parties expanded their representation on boards in Colorado, Kansas, and Utah so far. Of the 63 seats on the ballot for 12 state boards, 35 incumbent candidates were reelected. This…

This study aimed to analyze leadership styles to discover which leadership style had the most significant positive and negative impact on student academic achievement in rural high schools in Alabama. This study attempted to reveal if a significant difference in student academic achievement existed based on the school leader's leadership style,…

As school districts become increasingly racially diverse, minorities remain practically invisible in the role of superintendent; specifically, Black women. Historical analysis depicts the superintendency as a White male-dominated position and highlights significant challenges experienced by women in the field. Literature available on the topic of…

This study investigated the structured mentoring program provided to novice superintendents by the SSA (School Superintendents of Alabama). This study examined new African American superintendents' perceptions of the facilitating factors and barriers that influenced the success of the program and the benefits in terms of attaining district goals…

When the pandemic took hold, the superintendent of Selma City Schools realized the strategic plan her district had in place wasn't enough. She shares the collective steps her team took to embrace change and rethink what school could look like from the ground up.

This research study examined the relationship between district climate and teacher commitment. The study was conducted using a sample of fifteen (15) school districts in North and Central Alabama. The districts were composed of 110 schools, 51 secondary and 59 elementary. The respondents to the research study were 1587 school teachers and 99…

The twofold purpose of the study was to (1) identify selected personal and professional characteristics of sitting African American female superintendents in the five Gulf Coast states, and (2) identify perceptions held by sitting African American female superintendents in the five Gulf Coast states related to the importance of selected factors as…

This descriptive qualitative case study examined how rural superintendents implement the eight turnaround principles to foster and sustain improvement in the school district organization. The eight turnaround principles are as follows: school leadership, school climate and culture, effective instruction, curriculum, assessment and intervention…

The decisions regarding school curriculum are based on mandates from state and local policies and funding from local, state, and federal government funding. In most K-12 public school systems, decisions regarding funding issues are approved by the local board of education upon the recommendation from the superintendent. As chief executive officer…

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the strategies used to recruit and retain teachers in remote rural school districts, from the perspective of the superintendent, the principal, and the teacher. Data was collected from interviews of superintendents, principals, and teachers, conducted in three remote rural school districts in…

This study describes core dispositions of school district superintendents who have been identified as technology savvy leaders by a prominent educational technology newspaper. The superintendents in this study described how they accomplished their technology initiatives and offered suggestions for other superintendents who aspire to be more…

This case focuses on one parent's request to have his daughter exempted from district-mandated computer tests (called STAR Enterprise tests). These tests are administered several times per year as a formative assessment to gauge student achievement in the areas of reading and math. The parent was concerned that the district was spending too much…

April 27, 2011, will be remembered by many as a catastrophic day and event in Alabama, and specifically by K-12 educational leaders. Natural disasters like tornadoes have a significant impact on leaders, on their decision making and, obviously, on the survival of many of their victims. The possibility and threat of a major crisis caused by natural…

Drawing on scholarship from the politics and history of education, narrative and archival data, and the author's emic perspectives, this article examines social and political transformations in the Birmingham City Schools (BCS) and some of the surrounding metropolitan school districts during the pre- and post-classical phases of the American civil…

Women make up the majority of personnel in today's school systems yet few hold the highest position of superintendent. According to the Digest of Education Statistics, in 2001, 79 percent of all public school teachers nationally were female. Today, 80 percent of Alabama's teachers are female (Alabama Education Quick Facts 2008). However, there are…