Superintendents of urban school districts are confronted by large classes; shortages of qualified staff, materials, and supplies; and inequitable funding. Despite their superintendent's herculean efforts to build strong community support, the Baltimore schools have the lowest per pupil expenditure among Maryland's largest school systems. (MLH)

The General Concerns Inventory: Least Restrictive Environment was administered to superintendents, special education coordinators, and principals from 60 Alabama school districts. Of 4 factors (social/personal concerns, staff and curriculum concerns, fiscal concerns, and legal concerns), only social/personal concerns discriminated among the 3…

Great diversity exists among communities as to how school districts should be managed. The causes and possible solutions to managing this diversity are the focus of the discussion. Goal setting, performance appraising, policy developing and participative developing of the board meeting agenda are several ways to clarify roles and to achieve…

A search for a new superintendent that involves school employees and community members gives everyone who took part a vested interest in seeing the new superintendent succeed. Offers advice about using public meetings and advisory committees in the superintendent search. (MLF)

The St. Paul, Minnesota, School Board proposes a plan to explore a voluntary metropolitan desegregation program. Addresses the widespread fear of, and opposition to, school desegregation and makes recommendations for metropolitan desegregation. (MLF)

School board members can make bad decisions if they give in to peer pressure from the community and from within the board. Cites examples and suggests that board members who don't know enough about an issue can't make a reasonable decision. (MLF)

Empowered school staff find opportunities to work together. Outlines the superintendent's role and the conditions that must be met in order for empowerment and school improvement to succeed. (MLF)

A school board member and a superintendent realized in their three years of working together in a Florida school district how crucial the board/superintendent relationship is to a smoothly running school district. Advises board members and superintendents to keep their roles straight and to work as a team. Offers guidelines to board presidents.…

Describes an assistant superintendent's experience in developing and implementing similar school reform plans in two high school settings. The less affluent but more successful school tied its restructuring plans to Coalition of Essential Schools principles. The key elements for success were energy, vision, and faculty and community commitment.…

A Georgia superintendent (and former teacher) angered board and community members by calling in federal authorities to help eliminate de facto segregation in two schools serving 1,200 students. At issue were a discriminatory track system and unintegrated cheerleading teams. Sidebars explain the U.S. Education Department's Office for Civil Rights…

Superintendents from 220 school districts and 68 community college presidents were asked to identify processes they would employ to recommend solutions to strategic issues. Investigates the effect of institutional performance level and superintendents'/presidents' perceptions and subjective labeling of the strategic issues on the process of…

Analyzes school board members' on-the-job training and development from board members' and superintendents' perspectives. Most board members viewed their own learning development within a broader framework than did most superintendents; the latter mistakenly saw themselves as central to board learning. Implications for three policy areas (training…

Summarizes research findings that suggest that school superintendents support the need for professional teacher-librarians (TLs). Highlights include the influence of the TL and the resource center on teaching; teaching background and experience of the TL; expectations for media centers; superintendents' and TLs' perceptions of library practices;…

The growing movement to privatize school management is a reason for comparing compensation and responsibilities in the private and public sectors. Despite the enormous salary gaps, public outrage over superintendents' salaries is common. Sensitive taxpayers might favor superintendent contracts including pay-for-performance factors resembling those…

The average life expectancy of a superintendent in a given post is three years. By that time, the position has been steadily weakened by accumulating enemies spawned by unforeseen events. A research survey of 50 "early leavers" discloses 3 primary disincentives: poor board-superintendent relationships; conflict with board over educational…