Concerned about low reading achievement scores, the superintendent of an impoverished, rural Tennessee school district adopted Marie Carbo's reading styles program as a vehicle for a five-year learning improvement plan. The district aimed to improve classroom instruction through long-term staff development that inspired teachers to abandon…

An elementary school in a densely populated district with a heavy concentration of poor, minority, and immigrant students was scheduled for demolition because of highway construction. Kenneth L. Moffett, superintendent, took on a bureaucratic Goliath and secured a new school underground that is secure and beautiful. The school board named the…

Murfreesboro (Tennessee) City Schools extended the school day and year with no additional cost to taxpayers. Implementation was arduous and faced great resistance. Eventual solution made better use of the school system's capital assets and human resources, rearranged Chapter 1 money, required additional business support and parents' willingness to…

A Yuma (Arizona) elementary school district discovered that year-round schooling is doable, if the community is ready. Before proceeding, superintendents should do their homework, involve the community, form a support group to solidify acceptance, rally colleagues, develop a multiyear implementation plan, collect data on issues raised in the…

Recently, the National Center for Educational Leadership surveyed 35 Kentucky superintendents about changing roles since passage of the 1990 Kentucky Education Reform Act. Results showed that superintendents were learning to lead from the background, enhancing all stakeholders' participation, and working hard to manage reform requirements. Many…

Summarizes a study examining 17 (British) local education authorities' changing role and effectiveness, drawing on interview and survey data. Explores growing diversity among authorities, degree of effectiveness, contributions to quality and school improvement, and educational leadership. LEA Governors rated their LEA's performance more highly…

In 1988, the Mississippi Legislature established a public school rating system, ranging from 1 (probation) to 5 (exceptional). The new superintendent of Oxford Public Schools took only three years to make the level-3 district 1 of only 12 Mississippi school systems to achieve level 5 status. Reading Recovery helped. (MLH)

A Long Island superintendent (a former workaholic) explains his need for relaxation, uninterrupted family time, and behavior changes. He now takes all of his vacation time (without calling the office), delegates authority, and relaxes off the job. Superintendents are empowered to control their own wellness. (MLH)

Modern school executives have a bewildering number of management philosophies to choose from and a seemingly limitless supply of buzzwords and fads. In this poem, St. Peter (Heaven's chief executive) has trouble forming committees of subluminaries to help him decide which managerial types should enter the pearly gates. (MLH)

For three years, researchers at the Annenberg Institute for School Reform have documented public-engagement practices in various districts nationwide. Exemplary district-leadership strategies are profiled. Common elements include inclusive, indepth dialog; dedication to genuine school improvement; creation of dynamic partnerships; and candor,…

A 1997 report by Public Agenda, a nonpartisan public-opinion research firm, confirmed that educators deplore the quality of press coverage of public education. While questioning journalistic effectiveness and credibility, the study offers objective insights about citizens' expectations. Superintendents must communicate concerns to editors and…

Considers the view of school governance propounded by OFSTED (British Ministry of Education), via publications on governing bodies' role, inspection reports on individual schools, and Her Majesty's Chief Inspector's annual reports. Statements in these documents project an "official" view of school governors' role, with significant…

This 1997-98 survey reports $82,339 as the mean of the average salaries paid to assistant superintendents and $67,724 as the mean of the average salaries paid to directors of finance and business in (responding) U.S. school systems. Generally, the annual salaries for chief business officials have kept pace with those of classroom teachers and…

The superintendent of Coventry (Rhode Island) Schools explains how he converted annual town meetings from uncivil, interminable budget-slashing sessions to expressions of community support for student-centered reforms and a construction/renovation bond issue. The board grasped assessment difficulties by taking state-mandated tests for…

Some board members may not have considered whether e-mail is subject to state statutes ensuring that public business is done publicly. E-mail has great potential for exposing a district to liability. Sample open-meeting and/or public-record laws from several states, including California, Florida, and Virginia, are discussed. (MLH)