Discusses what can be learned about superintendent job qualifications from analyzing position descriptions advertised in "Education Week" and association journals. Describes five categories common to most superintendent position descriptions: leadership, management skills, school reform and performance, curricular review, and technology.…

When business leaders in Reno, Nevada, last summer were courting a medium-size software developer to relocate its headquarters from Emeryville, California, they turned to someone who has become their chief sales agent to clinch the deal: Jim Hager, superintendent of the Washoe County School District. Hager accompanied a handful of other county…

Every superintendent eventually has to deal with "The Bomb." This refers to a loaded question from a board member dropped at an inopportune moment in a public meeting when the superintendent has been given no time to prepare an informed response. The superintendent's typical reactions include the "deer in the headlights" look, a big gulp or even a…

To be sure, growing up the child of a school superintendent has its upsides. There are certain perks, such as never having to worry when you forget your lunch money and having your parent hand you your high school diploma. But there is plenty of pressure, both internally and externally, to act just right so as never to draw undue attention to the…

Normative communicative behavior for school superintendents appears to have evolved as a set of role-related and context-dependent skills. The efficacy of this situational perspective, however, is questionable in relation to current conditions in society and public schools. The superintendency has evolved through four traditional…

In this article, the author first discusses what he did in preparation for the superintendency. He was a teacher for 16 years and an administrator for 10 more. He completed the California School Leadership Academy, the state's two-tier administrative training program, and the Superintendents Academy put on by the Association of California School…

Superintendents usually do a fine job of preparing documents for their boards by paying close attention to detail. They are masters of finished staff work. Reports are not only meticulously crafted, they also are transmitted to the board far enough in advance to allow for careful review. However, despite these well-intended efforts, many board…

Joan Raymond was just six months into a well-earned retirement following 20 demanding years in the superintendency of some of the hottest kitchens in the nation. But when some longtime friends told her about an opening in South Bend, Indiana, Raymond could not ignore the itch to give it one more whirl. Raymond found the school system in far more…

Superintendents work in environments that can become politically charged and psychically dangerous. Staying open-hearted and steadily focused on a higher purpose in such circumstances requires the inner strength that results from spiritual practice. Engaging in such practices is not likely to eliminate all stress or prevent political turmoil. But…

A profile of R. Kirk Hamilton, superintendent of South-Western City Schools in Columbus, Ohio, is presented. Hamilton runs the Ohio school district featuring a full gamut of geography--from expansive cow pastures to high-density, urban housing complexes--yet he carries the same message to all corners that's grounded on a simple belief: All…

In this article, the author presents Kathy B. Cox, Georgia state schools' superintendent. She has been very conscientious about the needs of teachers and the needs of principals. She has shown creativity by establishing a position at the department to work specifically on raising SAT scores in the state--which ranks last in national comparisons on…

This article reports on how superintendents are riding the wave of personal technology. Once reluctant users, superintendents now find their hand-held devices an indispensable tool for leveraging their school system leadership. However, as the availability and allure of personal technology devices proliferate, superintendents find themselves…

In this article, the author describes his work with a professional network in Connecticut. The Connecticut Superintendents Network is designed to be a community of practice among superintendents who are committed to sustained instructional improvement in their districts. Here, the Harvard University professor applies the medical rounds model to…

Salaries for new superintendents form a highly visible factor that has direct implications for school-community public relations. To provide a means for guiding school board members and to provide a format for justifying salaries, a model is presented that serves both purposes. Within this model, attention is afforded to specifying a relevant…

The purpose of this study was to assess a statewide cadre of public school principals in terms of their attraction to the job of district superintendent. Two assumptions underlying the investigation were that (1) participant self-reported capability to become a superintendent impacts participant attraction to the job, and (2) participant…