In this article, the authors propose that pragmatism is a perspective with great promise for understanding and researching the work of small district superintendents and developing the abilities of both pre-service students and in-service practitioners to do that work. They maintain, based on their reading of focus group interviews with small…

Most school leaders by now have heard about blogging but may not have thought much about how and why they should consider adding a blog to their school district's communication plan. Superintendents may be among the least likely in K-12 education to see the benefits of blogging and other social media. The problem with reacting to current problems…

This study focuses on arguably the most important evidence related to preparing and licensing school district superintendents--the first year of practice in this challenging position. Subjects in this research were novice superintendents in office during January, 2005, in four states: California, Missouri, North Carolina, and Ohio. The primary…

Across Canada there have been numerous recent examples of incidents where the political and ideological interests of provincial governments have run counter to the mandates of school districts. In this pan-Canadian study, focus groups were conducted with school board trustees and school district superintendents to examine the relationships between…

One main challenge for many school districts in these tough economic times is teacher retention and all the costs associated. This study looks the influence of principal gender, teacher years of experience, and teacher retention based on teachers' perceptions of their principal's leadership style, transformational leadership qualities,…

This report describes a problem based learning project focusing on educational change and gender in the superintendency. Superintendent tenure is influenced by the ability to facilitate and navigate the change process. Superintendent leadership and organizational change have been shown to be related to student achievement; therefore, successful…

This report describes a problem based learning project focusing on educational change and gender in the superintendency. Superintendent tenure is influenced by the ability to facilitate and navigate the change process. Superintendent leadership and organizational change have been shown to be related to student achievement; therefore, successful…

This report describes a problem based learning project focusing on educational change and gender in the superintendency. Superintendent tenure is influenced by the ability to facilitate and navigate the change process. Superintendent leadership and organizational change have been shown to be related to student achievement; therefore, successful…

In 2009, the federal government committed over $3 billion nationwide to help states and districts turn around their worst-performing schools. The U.S. Department of Education intended for the School Improvement Grants (SIGs) to spur dramatic change.This report looks at the results of a field study of the first-year implementation of those grants…

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine Collins' good-to-great Level Five leadership attributes, as demonstrated by the leadership behaviors of superintendents of high-performing California public single-school districts. Methodology: The researcher used a case study design to conduct this study. Personal interviews were conducted in…

This research examined the leadership practices of rural superintendents who have led their districts to significant improvement in student academic achievement. The overall research goal was to examine how Waters' and Marzano's six correlates of effective superintendent leadership practice have been applied by school leaders who have successfully…

The need for superintendents to respond correctly to the myriad of legally charged situations is vital to the success of a school district. In small rural school districts, without the benefit of extensive financial resources or large administrative bureaucracies, many of the day-to-day legal challenges are handled solely by the superintendent of…

Superintendent leadership can influence student achievement and with the alarming gap between the academic achievement of traditionally marginalized students and their peers, superintendents have an ethical duty to lead their districts in closing these achievement gaps. Spillane, Halverson, and Diamond (2001) suggested that to have a more complete…

The actions of two assailants who shot and killed 10 people and wounded three others, including a student, in the region around Washington, D.C., in October 2002, provides the backdrop for a qualitative study of the emergency response by school district leaders in Montgomery County, Maryland. The study explores and describes the experiences of the…

The purpose of this study was to redress the paucity of research regarding superintendents and their role in implementing parent and community involvement policies. Another aim was to examine which types of parent and community involvement practices, if any, may be related to student achievement. A mixed methods inquiry was applied. The Measure…