A principal of an alternative secondary school and a district superintendent reflect on their 12-year relationship. Because Anderson kept Gosling informed, the superintendent could handle critics while demonstrating support for an unusual program. Mutual respect, agreement on issue definition, collaborative goals, productive conversation, and…

The 21st-century superintendent faces several challenges: changing demographics (growing diversity), the divide between haves and have-nots, devaluation of children (reliance on remediation over prevention), de-emphasis on education for citizenship, deregulation, devolution of power, "demassification" (fewer common information sources),…

To embed ongoing learning opportunities in routine school practices, superintendents must help schools create the collaborative cultures that enable teachers to work together, engage in collective inquiry, and learn from each others' experience. Suggestions for fostering quality staff development, clarifying priorities, and improving capacity are…

In decentralized districts like Houston's, principals and superintendents, formerly serving as managers responsible for executing policy directives, are assuming ceremonial and policy-making roles. Superintendents use their symbolic "headship" to build community at banquets, lead crisis-intervention efforts, and motivate underachieving…

Financial planning is the key to providing a high-quality instructional plan. A 5-year financial plan is typically updated by looking at district financial history, future instructional plans, staffing requirements, and revenue projections. Planning assumptions must be clearly understood by the financial team and the community. (MLH)

Presents examples and research findings that contradict the typical stereotypes of Latina leadership. Examines the idea that Latina superintendents are atypical of their ethnicity and gender with the idea of claiming Latina leadership legacies that bring an alternative perspective to the discourse on leadership. (Author/SLD)

This kinesthetic piece evokes and provokes the reader into a visceral experience that transfers the internal emotional reactions of women of color as they face a world that does not value their worth as leaders. Explores issues of leadership through parallels with masturbation. (Author/SLD)

Describes characteristics of effective superintendents based on interviews with 18 men and women with an average of 13 years' experience in their current positions. Superintendents offer insights on decision-making, stress management, avoiding surprises, and responding to political pressure. (PKP)

Offers several recommendations to board of education on involving the incumbent superintendent in the search for a new superintendent. (PKP)

Describes positive and negative qualities in candidates that boards of education identified when searching for a new superintendent. Based on Illinois study of 180 superintendent vacancies during recent 3-year period. (PKP)

Provides insights into the changing role of instructional leadership based on the Annenberg Institute for School Reform's work with principals and superintendents. Such leadership changes include lead learning, a focus on teaching and learning, developing leadership capacity, creating conditions for professional learning, using data to inform…

After the first year, new superintendents should take care to avoid the "sophomore jinx" by communicating effectively with the board president every week and with board members before meetings. Public engagement is also an integral part of a superintendent's job. (MLF)

Survey responses from 175 public school superintendents blamed school boards for the dwindling supply of qualified applicants for the superintendency. The top problem is micromanagement by the school board. The time and stress of the superintendency ranks second, cited by more than 53 percent of respondents. Diminishing financial resources were…

Describes principal participants and agenda at informal annual meetings of public-school curriculum works in late 1920s; meetings eventually led to the creation of a professional association for curriculum practitioners and researches: The Society for Curriculum Study, later to become the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.…

With the growth of online courses available for K-12 education, administrators should consider the following advice before implementing them in their schools: Plan carefully; think education, not technology; cooperate, do not compete; figure out the money. Includes a list of print and online reference materials on K-12 online education. (PKP)