Investigated how school superintendents defined and used power. Interviews with 47 superintendents nationwide and two other people from each school district indicated that the more strictly superintendents' definitions adhered to power as coming from or with others (rather than power over others), the more capable they were as collaborative…

Managing communities in economic decline takes special management skills, including knowledge of the change process, conflict resolution, organizational decision-making and leadership styles, power-base utilization, and management theory. Planners should consider a multiyear time frame, clear mission, prioritized core services, reallocated…

Self-perceived competence of school superintendents in staffing for instruction (SIC) and the extent to which human resources practices and outcomes were operational in their school systems were studied through a survey of 107 superintendents. Administrators with higher SIC scores tended to have better human resource operations and outcomes. (SLD)

In November 1992, Vista (California) residents elected two conservative Christians to four-year terms on the school board. Controversial topics at board meetings divided the community. In a November 1994 recall election two conservatives were replaced by two moderates. An interview with the board president and superintendent describes how school…

Superintendents can protect themselves from the toxic effects of leadership seduction by monitoring their communication with colleagues and constituents; seeking balance in their personal, professional, and spiritual life; working on what matters; focusing on relationships; learning from adversity; and monitoring their effectiveness. (MLH)

Learning the ropes of school board service requires focus, patience, and good humor. A veteran board member offers suggestions for avoiding first-meeting disasters, building a strong relationship with the superintendent, and dealing with the news media. Includes tips from a superintendent about referring calls to appropriate school administrators.…

A survey completed by 161 Ohio school board presidents examined superintendent selection practices and how they related to district size and rurality-urbanicity. Overall, board presidents preferred recommended practices (such as use of professional consultants and uniform selection criteria) over traditional ones. However, board presidents from…

Conversing about board-administrator foibles, a board member and the superintendent of the Portland (Oregon) School District reach agreement concerning essentials for working well together. They acknowledge the need for smaller, informal meetings; absolute and trust and communication; long-term commitment; and ideological understandings. (MLH)

As measured by the number of published articles in U.S. newspapers and wire services in the Nexis database, references to "adequate yearly progress"--the key benchmark for school performance under NCLB--nearly quadrupled between December 2002 and December 2003. State and local news outlets have devoted significant space to their state…

In this article, the author describes how Superintendent Jimmy Cunningham recognized the moment he parted ways with his urban colleagues on just how school funding should be meted out in Arkansas. The Arkansas Supreme Court had declared the state's school funding system unconstitutional so the Arkansas Association of School Administrators had…

Amid reports of superintendent shortages and concerns about equal opportunity, what place do women superintendents occupy in today's school districts? Are they sought after or are they struggling to break into a traditionally male-dominated profession? What qualities, if any, do they bring to the office that may make them more desirable as…

This article features Boston superintendent Tom Payzant. In a national landscape dotted with dysfunctional urban systems and short-lived superintendents, Payzant stands out. With over a decade at the helm, Payzant is arguably the best big-city school leader in the nation and Boston the most improved urban district. The success side of the Payzant…

Sports have played an important part in Terry Grier's life, no doubt about it. As a high school student in Fairmont, North Carolina, Grier lettered in four sports. After college, he became a teacher, then a coach, then a high school principal. Eventually he joined the ranks of superintendents, serving districts from Sacramento, California, to…

It is hard to win passage of a school construction bond--whether through a citizen referendum or the vote of a town council or general town meeting. Property owners' resistance to tax increases remains strong. Sizable segments of any local community--senior citizens, childless adults, parents who send their children to private school, and…

Responses gathered in a recent study of the superintendency in the Pacific Northwest suggest that less than 25% of sitting superintendents in the year 2000 were under the age of 50; and 40% of those who were 50 years or older planned to retire within the next four years. While the pool of potential applicants includes over 1,000 superintendent…