Teaching quality impacts classroom instruction. Teaching is difficult, demanding and draining work; teaching in urban environs exacerbates the difficulties, the demands and the complexities of teaching. Through the eyes of an assistant superintendent, charged with implementing a new vision for literacy teaching and learning, this manuscript…

The selection of a superintendent is among the most significant decisions any school district board of directors will make. The superintendent should be the person and office through which the direction set by the board is carried out. The working relationship that develops between the board and superintendent is thus absolutely critical and the…

The role of the district superintendent as an instructional leader in systemic change is paramount to the degree and sustainability of change. Through the use of an electronic survey incorporating closed- and open-ended questions, the study examined the characteristics, habits of mind or dispositions, and leadership skills or styles used by an…

It is well documented that the demands on school superintendents have not only become more taxing but have also changed in recent years. The superintendent needs to possess a high degree of knowledge and skills in a diverse number of areas, including psychology, finances, personnel, and general education while functioning at a very high level in…

National advocacy groups have undertaken significant efforts to define the performance capacities needed by principals to lead schools in this era of continuous improvement and accountability. There has been little articulation between the core skills essential to new principals and the leadership capacities of experienced peers. This study…

Credentials of hypothetical standing principal candidates are assessed in a 3X2 completely crossed factorial design varying diversity of applicants (Hispanic, Latino, or White) and diversity of students (low vs. high Hispanic enrollments). Screening decisions of superintendents are assessed according to job-related criteria, probability of an…

School superintendents' role has shifted from the traditional emphasis on managerial aspects to one on instructional leadership (on teaching and learning issues) achieved by generating collaborative learning opportunities at the both school and district levels. Whereas collaborative learning processes in schools have generally been associated with…

It's said that buried in every journalist is a novel waiting to be written. Something similar seems to apply these days to school administrators, particularly superintendents. Not a novel, perhaps, but some kind of writing, from book to blog. The urge might be personal, but more and more, writing from a school executive's point of view has become…

The first year of one's superintendency is a year like no other. Even those educators who've worked for years in the wings fulfilling high-level duties in the central office find one eye-opener after another when they alone are at the top of the organization's leadership ladder. At the start of the summer in 2010, The School Administrator invited…

In school districts across the country, central office staff members are working to improve how they lead district-wide instructional improvement, but are finding few guides or supports for that work, what design researchers might call limited "designs" for their leadership. Superintendents frequently elevate school-based staff to…

This case represents a multitude of leadership dilemmas created by financial exigencies and the difficult decisions that must be made during times of economic austerity. Under the best of circumstances, deciding between programmatic elimination and/or employee termination is agonizing, onerous, and filled with political and social ramifications.…

This study examines the transformational leadership and emotional intelligence profiles of current Illinois superintendents. Demographic characteristics related to age, gender, degree, experience, and district size, type, and location were also examined. As schools are asked to "do more with less," the impact of leaders who demonstrate…

The author spent his two superintendencies perfecting a collaborative leadership concept known as "the superintendency." This concept recognized that significant change and positive, continuous improvement required long-term, concentrated attention rather than a few years of frantic activity. While the "superintendency"…

Based upon the words of small school-district superintendents, this article explores how superintendents might lead in these complex contexts. In national focus groups, thirty-five participants described their decision-making processes as resting upon "doing what's best for students," acknowledging the unique challenges of small school district…

This case, inspired by a real school district scenario, was developed for use in a graduate-level course in school finance. James Spencer had just been selected as the new superintendent of a low-income, 400-student, rural school district in need of many capital improvements. The previous superintendent had refused to hold a bond election because…