Superintendents provide resources so that their district teams, principals, and teachers receive quality and frequent professional learning opportunities. As a result, it is crucial that the money invested in professional learning yields a return on their and their constituents' investments through improved academic achievement, teacher and…

With a visionary approach to school improvement, "Equity-Based Leadership" proposes a framework to support system leaders seeking to organize change and achieve more equitable education. In this ambitious yet pragmatic work, Joshua P. Starr makes the case that intentional and attentive district leadership can bring about continuous…

This case study examines the intersection of rural education, new leadership, and supervising teachers when a power imbalance exists. Using a real-life example of supervision and professional interactions, this case study focuses future administrators on the real-life conflicts inherent in supervision and employee rights. The case study examines…

When the pandemic took hold, the superintendent of Selma City Schools realized the strategic plan her district had in place wasn't enough. She shares the collective steps her team took to embrace change and rethink what school could look like from the ground up.

As technology continues to permeate all aspects of modern society, it is critical for PK-12 students to participate in computer science (CS) learning opportunities that prepare them to navigate and leverage technology in their future careers. However, research consistently shows that Black, Hispanic/Latino/a/x, and Native American students,…

While there is a link between the work of school boards and positive outcomes for K12 students, some elected boards and superintendents continue to struggle with effective governance practices, a dynamic which can contribute to diminished public confidence. This article explores the most common challenges, their impact, and the role of…

This article draws from the first phase of a larger, qualitative and developmental study with educational leaders (n=50), as well as nearly three decades of research and teaching, to explore how constructive-developmental theory offers new insights about enacting and supporting social justice leadership in our schools and districts. Specifically,…

This study applied feminist theory (Crossman, 2018) and glass ceiling theory (Dunlap & Schmuck, 1995) through the lens of a transformative worldview framework (Creswell, 2014) to understand the formal and informal learning experiences of superintendents in southern California. The purpose of this study was to examine the differences between…

In an era when school shootings make front page headlines, school security is of major importance to community members, school superintendents, police chiefs, parents, and students. School district leaders and local law enforcement officials generally work together to ensure the safety of their community's children. The nature of the relationships…

Focusing on rural school superintendents in New York State public school districts, this study examined the nexus between their leadership behaviors and the academic achievement levels of students within their districts. The study used a causal-comparative research design, also called an "ex-post facto design" (Isaac & Michael,…

In the United States, sex education in schools varies significantly across districts. Many schools operate without state-guided health education curricula, leaving decisions up to individual districts. The purpose of this study was to explore what type of sex education is being offered in U.S. high schools in addition to assessing the frequency of…

Critical Race Theory is the theoretical framework used to structure the discussion of data and results. The purpose of this descriptive multi-embedded case study was to investigate the perspective of effective elementary school principals in a large, diverse suburban school district in the Metro area who narrowed the race-based academic…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the ethical leadership perspectives of state superintendents across the United States, including the District of Columbia, and the Department of Defense. Secondly, the researchers examined to what extent the ethical leadership perspectives of state superintendents were correlated with school leader…

Even though the West Linn-Wilsonville School District in Tualatin, Oregon was posting good results at all levels, when a new superintendent arrived, one of his first initiatives was to re-align progress from goals to a coherent system of professional development that would lead everyone to feel confident and competent in their work to reach all…

As the day-to-day leaders of a school district, superintendents oversee budgetary and other district operations, help give practical meaning to federal and state policy, and set local district policy for the schools under their charge. Superintendents therefore work in a unique and important leadership space that exists between federal, state,…