This study examined the effects of four variables on job ratings provided by applicants for simulated superintendent vacancies. The participants were superintendents (n = 72) and superintendent-certified personnel (n = 72) reacting to jobs described in simulated position announcements. The participants rated jobs in districts without school…

This article reports on a focus group which was one of four principal focus groups held across the United States in Florida, Virginia, New Mexico, and Missouri as part of Voices 3, a national research project on the status of the principal and superintendent roles, sponsored by the University Council for Educational Administration (UCEA). In other…

In this article, the author discusses what a superintendent can do to energize the faculty on opening day. He uses a creative approach in developing the opening day speech--and keeps the teachers guessing. Believing that the superintendent should not be the focal point of opening day, he instead gives teachers the opportunity to share their…

Empirical research on the philosophies, beliefs, and actions of school administrators such as principals or superintendents toward talented students is largely nonexistent in the published literature. What little is known suggests that administrators are crucial, but that advocates of services for high-ability learners need to carry the message…

This case involves a dilemma that school district evaluators frequently face. A superintendent directs an evaluator to participate in a press conference and present data validating the superintendent's program to improve high school course-passing rates. The evaluator presents his analysis to the superintendent, who directs him to remove some data…

"Alabama Education News" is published monthly except for June, July, and December by the Alabama Department of Education. This publication, authorized by Section 16-2-4 of the "Code of Alabama", as recompiled in 1975, is a public service of the Alabama Department of Education designed to inform citizens and educators about…

Each edition of the IDRA Newsletter strives to provide many different perspectives on the issues in education topics discussed and to define its significance in the state and national dialogue. This issue focuses on governance efficacy and includes: (1) Tyranny of Old Ideas About School Board Responsibilities (Abelardo Villarreal and Rosana G.…

In November 1996, the voters of Montgomery County (Maryland) approved by referendum an amendment to the County Charter that changed the County Council's review and approval cycle of the six-year Capital Improvements Program (CIP) from an annual to biennial cycle. The referendum specified that in odd-numbered fiscal years (on-years) the County…

School district administrator openings are occurring across Texas and many other states at an increasing rate. The high rate of turnover in the superintendency has become a national problem. Texas was chosen for the study due to the total number of school districts in the state and the high percent of rural districts. The other selected states,…

The purpose of this study was to compare the perceptions of Texas Public School superintendents and school board presidents on the importance of leadership characteristics of the superintendency. The questionnaire used in this study was developed by Dr. Douglas D. Wilson and modified by the researcher. Responses to a Likert Scale instrument and…

To better understand the views of teachers and administrators on the high school dropout problem, focus groups and nationally representative surveys were conducted of high school teachers and principals. A focus group of superintendents and school board members was also included. To help interpret the results, the authors convened a colloquium…

R. Burl Yarberry was born in 1920 in Pueblo, Colorado. He attended public schools in Pueblo and graduated from high school in 1938. After a year attending the Colorado School of Mines, he enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps and served in the Pacific during World War II. Following his discharge, he earned a BA in English from Western State College of…

In most states those aspiring to be school superintendents must satisfy a series of post-master's requirements to receive the necessary certification. At the University of South Carolina, these academic requirements can be met through the completion of a 33 credit hour program culminating in an educational specialist's degree. A survey of recent…

Unfiltered--and some would say inaccurate--blogs are the Wild West of the Internet, where mostly young citizen journalists (more than half of all bloggers are under age 30) routinely ignore mainstream media niceties like fact checking, multiple sourcing, and balance. Conversational in tone, blogs represent a new and powerful form of special…

The relevance of administrative preparation programs has been questioned. The questions center around how well programs are preparing school leaders to deal with the myriad of requirements placed in front of them (i.e. demands relate to issues of accountability, changing demographics, aging professionals, demanding publics, and school…