Based on in-depth interviews, "Striving for Equity" brings to light the complex and illuminating stories of thirteen longtime superintendents--all leaders of the Minority Student Achievement Network (MSAN)--who were able to make progress toward narrowing opportunity and achievement gaps in traditional school districts with diverse…

The purpose of this study is to synthesize perceptions of Missouri superintendents with regards to year-round school calendars and correlate them to the four themes of Time, Student Learning and Achievement, District Cost, and Family Cost and Support. The idea behind year-round school calendars is that by going to school throughout the year with…

The number of female superintendents in Wisconsin public schools remains disproportionately low compared to males. With research supporting a connection between female leaders and transformational leadership, the question as to why more females do not enter the realm of leadership and how they see themselves as leaders remains unanswered. This…

To increase capacity for public participation and improve problem-solving practices, some public school districts have launched stakeholder-training programs. This mixed methods study examined the impact of five school district parent training programs (four in Colorado and one in Illinois) designed to increase trust and engagement. Data were…

This descriptive study explored the influence of a 6-month well-being intervention on the leadership-life balance of school administrators. After completing the program, 12 administrators participated in a semistructured interview focused on their administrative duties, experience in the program, and changes in health-related knowledge/skills and…

Looking for a K--12 art teaching position can be a daunting endeavor. What do school district administrators and art teachers feel is important when hiring visual arts teachers and how do they carry out the job search process? This is a question author Lisa LaJevic often hears from her preservice art teachers as they near the end of their college…

This article describes how superintendents approach the administrative processes of recruiting, hiring, and training new teachers to work in Alaska's rural schools. Drawing from interviews of superintendents and administrators in 32 rural Alaska school districts, the data show not only the amount of time and responsibility that rural…

This research is an examination of the instructional leadership practices of effective rural superintendents who oversee school districts in small, rural school districts in the most northern New England states of Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont. The study looked at the successful leadership practices of school district superintendents who have…

Mentoring first-year superintendents in Missouri began as an informal process with the pairing of a veteran superintendent (mentor) with a first-year superintendent (protege) by the Missouri Association of School Administrators (MASA). The adoption of the Career Continuous Professional Certification by the Missouri State Board of Education…

The purpose of this study was to gain a deeper understanding of the role of the public school superintendent as the primary instructional leader in a district, one who is charged with the responsibility of creating the conditions for excellence in teaching and learning. The primary research question was: What are the perceptions of a group of…

The purpose of this research was to identify the role of the relationship between the school board and the school superintendent. This study was an effort to describe the role of relationship between the two stakeholders and what effect that relationship had on school climate and how their relationship impacted their ability to develop a strong…

The need for proper communication strategies during a bond or levy campaign has been a critical part of the tax referendum process. The intent of this study was to identify the best communication strategies used by superintendents during the three stages of a tax referendum. Planning a tax referendum, campaigning for a tax referendum, and then…

The purpose of this qualitative case study from archival material was to evaluate the degree of public transparency in the evaluation methodology and procedures of school superintendents of districts with student populations between 700 and 900 students in the State of New York. This study examined the language of the 71 superintendent employment…

This study explores the relationships between gender, career ambition, and the emergence of executive leadership in the bureaucracy. In "Bureaucratic Ambition," Teodoro (2011) shows that public administration career paths shape individual ambition, political behavior, and policy innovation. But career systems are not neutral conduits of…

A succession planning study with 100 sitting superintendents randomly selected from the 20 Education Service Centers across Texas. The superintendents are being interviewed and are providing their campus and district leadership pathway practices (administrative succession planning practices). The first three interview findings which provide a type…