The trends and challenges faced by Hispanic superintendents in Illinois are stated and analyzed throughout the study in both literature and practice. The examined items centered on the issues of hiring experiences and other barriers associated with the acquisition and longevity of the superintendency in Illinois. Data for the study were collected…

This study examines the perceived barriers which prevent school superintendents in the state of Washington from closing the gap between knowing core leadership practices that increase student academic performance and the superintendent's ability to act on this knowledge by implementing them. The theoretical frames established were organizational…

The purpose of the study is to add to the body of literature on the hiring processes utilized by public school boards of educations in filling the position of the superintendent. Hiring superintendents is one of the most important and challenging duties of a school board. This study will focus on the personal interview, selection methodology, and…

Frequent changes in school district superintendents may be having a detrimental impact on student achievement. Rapid changes in leadership today parallel the present (NCLB) era of high stakes state assessments. The goal of the study was to provide correlation research that would have a positive effect on school district management, superintendent…

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between superintendent job satisfaction and organizational commitment. Surveys were sent electronically to superintendents (N = 470) of Texas mid-size schools to collect data to test for relationships of variables and constructs associated with job satisfaction and components of…

This article profiles William Hite, Jr., a longtime educator and administrator, who began his career more than two decades ago as a high school athletic coach. Hite says his biggest passion is educating young people. And one of the best ways to serve students, he says, is by listening. Hite, 51, assumed his duties as Philadelphia's new…

Before the sun rises most days, Dwight D. Jones is at the office. Since becoming superintendent of the Clark County School District (CCSD) in Nevada last December, 4:30 a.m. arrivals are common. To be sure, the challenges facing the nation's fifth-largest school district are great. The recession not just hit, but smacked, Nevada, and the Clark…

The purpose of this research is to examine the motivations of females aspiring to school superintendency positions in Texas. We report on a reanalysis of data from two previous studies and how the findings build an understanding of previously documented obstacles and barriers female candidates encounter in their journey toward the superintendency.…

Public schools are facing a leadership crisis regarding the lack of women superintendents in the United States. Although, historically, women have dominated the positions of classroom teachers and outnumbered men in receiving administrative leadership certificates, there is a disproportion in the number of men and women superintendents leading the…

A multiple-case qualitative study of five school districts that had implemented various large-scale technology initiatives was conducted to describe what superintendents do to gain acceptance of those initiatives. The large-scale technology initiatives in the five participating districts included 1:1 District-Provided Device laptop and tablet…

This study analyzed how active Twitter users who are also school leaders used the tool. The researchers collaboratively identified K-12 school leaders who were active on Twitter and then collected tweets from those school leaders. The final sample for this study included 115 Twitter users and over 180,000 tweets from those individuals. The results…

The purpose of this study was to understand district-level leadership's perceived influences on and barriers to improved student achievement. The following research questions were addressed: (a) How do superintendents view their influence on student achievement? (b) How do school board presidents view their influence on student achievement? (c)…

People live in two worlds. The first is the external world of competition, ego, ambition and power. Here they chase the brass ring of success through control and standardized procedures designed to stave off failure. In this context, leaders face politics, conflicting expectations and bottom-line metrics. But in quiet moments of solitude, these…

This case covers the period 1993 to 2003. It tells the story of the challenges the Fort Worth Independent School District board faced when the state accountability system revealed extremely poor student achievement and a stark achievement gap. To address the problem, the board hired a dynamic superintendent, Dr. Tom Tocco, who initiated aggressive…

This case describes the experience of a new school board member in Miami-Dade County Public Schools, Marta Perez, as she discovers a wide range of ethical and management problems in the school district and attempts to deal with them. Layered throughout the case are challenges pertaining to the school board's roles and responsibilities,…