The purpose of this article is to illustrate an innovative online doctoral course on the pre-service exploration of the superintendency in order to advocate for effective teaching practices in response to calls from the field. To this end, a review of literature was utilized in order to frame and illustrate the course, bringing forth key concepts,…

The purpose of this study was to investigate, by means of quantitative research methods, District Education Officers (DEOs) perceptions regarding the behavioral characteristics of effective secondary school principals. The major findings were based on the results of the eight interviews conducted with DEOs. In an effort to determine the findings,…

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to examine the lived experiences of six women who navigated a pathway to the position of superintendent. The guiding research question was, how do women who lead suburban school districts of various sizes describe their trajectory to the position of superintendent? Themes that emerged from the…

In this brief we summarize findings from three surveys that sought to learn how county offices of education (COEs) are changing in response to the implementation of the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) and the Statewide System of Support (SSS). COEs have been assigned critically important responsibilities in the implementation of these…

Despite the fact that rural communities across the United States are rapidly diversifying (Fusarelli & Militello, 2012), little research has examined the beliefs and practices of successful rural educational leaders, specifically in high poverty schools and districts where traditionally marginalized students demonstrate improving learning…

Identifying an appropriate class size is an important decision public schools face as they weigh balancing their budget with the impact class size may have on student achievement. This study examined perceptions of South Dakota kindergarten through third-grade teachers, elementary principals, and superintendents concerning optimal class size and…

A country's productivity and economic competitiveness rely upon education, specifically postsecondary training which is fundamental to students' upward mobility in a thriving and progressive economic culture (Haunshek & Woessmann, 2012; Bailey et al., 2015). In order to maintain the economic stability of the United States for future…

The purpose of this study was to identify leadership characteristics of technical school principals as perceived by technical center school principals, the superintendents, and the center's Joint Control Board of the regional technical centers of the Commonwealth of Virginia. A regional technical center principal position deals with a different…

The modern school superintendent fulfills a unique role in the U.S. public education system. He or she is structurally empowered as the de facto head of the local educational system, thereby granted with a certain amount of trust and authority regarding educational issues. At the same time, the superintendent is, in most cases, an employee of a…

The need for reform and improvement in P-12 school systems is an ongoing topic of debate among legislators, business leaders, parents, educational leaders, and teachers. It can be argued that interest in reforming educational opportunities for students is more prevalent and critical today than at any other time of American educational history.…

Students from schools with greater levels of trust have higher levels of academic achievement. This study specifically examined the levels of trust that teachers have in each other, their principals, their students, and their students' families. Teachers from four school districts in which the superintendent won the state superintendent of the…

Utilizing a nonparametric statistical method, this secondary data analysis of the AASA, The School Superintendents Association (formerly the American Association of School Administrators) "American School Superintendent 2010 Decennial Study" on superintendents analyzes factors related to superintendent retention and turnover from a labor…

The purpose of this study was to identify how one district attempted to meet the need for greater accountability in the teacher evaluation process as mandated by law and to describe strategies that were employed by the district to ensure the integration of student achievement data. This research highlighted how a teacher evaluation instrument…

This study explores the opinions of 42 California superintendents on the LGBT-inclusive instructional provisions and the implementation needs of the FAIR Education Act with school district enrollment size as a considering factor. Few studies have explored the provisions of the FAIR Education Act inclusive of the instructional approaches to…

A predictive model of assistant superintendents willingness to become superintendent was created using three factors: personal (age, gender, marital status, and parenthood), professional (district size, district needs, and being mentored), and volition (willingness to appear for multiple interviews, give up their current position, be interviewed…