A Florida county, under a federal court order to desegregate its schools, adopted a plan of controlled school choice approved by the federal court. The county was divided into three zones that roughly reflected the school system's racial composition. A computerized lottery, with provisions for keeping siblings together and attractive programs for…

When Jack Helfrich arrived as superintendent of the Ken-Ton Schools a decade ago, the western New York district was reeling from an enrollment plunge that halved the number of students, cut 600 teaching jobs, and closed 12 of 28 schools. Under Helfrich's leadership, schools assume responsibility for setting goals and making decisions related to…

Although restructuring efforts commonly begin at the site level, Reed Union School District initiated its participative decision-making process at the district level. To end collective-bargaining strife, seven teacher representatives, one classified representative, the district's three principals, the superintendent, and two board members formed a…

Despite his legendary exploits, Odysseus' approach to leadership would render today's educational leaders ineffectual. Successful school administrators nurture their team's good ideas, monitor the environment, stay flexible and alert, study history, and remain responsible. Advocates of site-based management must also beware competing priorities,…

Teachers in England and Wales have recently discovered the meaning of innovation overload, including mandated teacher appraisal. Teaching is a very exposed, personal activity; governors' attitudes and behaviors concerning staff appraisal are mostly a matter of relationship. Appraising governors must consider context, responsibility, definitions of…

A California superintendent with a district embroiled in a creationism/evolution debate advises how to overcome divisiveness through communication with all stakeholders. Supervisors with contentious school boards should be positive, listen carefully, ferret the truth, and keep information flowing. Suggestions are provided for managing community,…

Outlines strategies for boosting student attendance and achievement in a South Carolina inner-city school district. Attendance incentive programs, accompanied by numerous inschool activities and at-home visits, were successful. The achievement-improvement program featured a principal-incentive component, strategies to encourage staff ownership and…

School boards and superintendents must cease their enmity and become allies. The board-superintendent relationship can founder over ambiguous goals, rules, and expectations; mutual mistrust; interpersonal sabotage; bickering among board members; and superheroic expectations for superintendents. Boards should focus on the big picture, identify…

AASA's new "Professional Standards for the Superintendency" specifies benchmarks for improving selection, preparation, development of America's school superintendents. Superintendents will be expected to work more as decentralized enablers than centralized controllers. Standards will increase respect for superintendency, encourage the…

"Professional Standards for the Superintendency" underscore the importance of the superintendent's role in developing well-educated young people and document the extraordinary range of skills, competencies, and values required of today's superintendents. Ethically defining these requirements, without homogenizing them, will help produce school…

There have been few studies on restructuring's effect on central office administrators. By analyzing 74 chief executive officers' perceptions about how restructuring is shaping the superintendency in Kentucky, this study helps address this gap. Three themes emerged: an enhanced superintendent role in developing community; redefinition of…

Scarcely two weeks after Joan Kowal became superintendent of Volusia County (Florida) County Schools, the state legislature sliced $6 million off a $220 million operating budget, effective immediately. Kowal responded by convening a broad-based stakeholder's conference and asking participants to decide where cuts could be made. Other decisions…

An organization's dramaturgical facade (ability to present an appearance in keeping with the script) is a better measure of effectiveness than its actual results. An organization must match its theatrical production--stage, props, drama, and actors--to audience demands. As directors, playwrights, and actors, superintendents play a vital role in…

An online service uses a desktop computer, equipped with a modem, to obtain a variety of services in electronic form such as electronic mail, electronic bulletin boards, special interest forums, and databases. Describes the features and costs of six commercial online services and how some school board members are using them. (MLF)

Responses from 134 superintendents, 134 principals, 134 vocational teachers, and 153 vocational directors (78%) revealed the perception that directors were primarily involved in administration, instruction, promotion, and personnel. Teachers, superintendents, and principals would like them to be substantially more involved in promotion and…