Analyzes interviews with 81 Nebraska superintendents who had experienced "critical incidents" in their dealings with school board members. Of the 5 main categories, the most frequently cited were the following: (1) problems with relatives and friends (23 percent); (2) personal agendas (21 percent); and (3) disputes over hiring and firing…

Local system for public school governance has changed little since early twentieth century, when conception of school boards as trusteeships and superintendents as chief managers changed school-operating boards into policy boards. Since the late 1960s, local boards have reverted to politicized boards, increasingly involved in district…

Most school board members and superintendents want to leave a lasting legacy to their district. To do this, they need to acknowledge that large-scale change is complex and takes time and that the system will outlast them. Board members can give their communities the gifts of vision, process, and competence. (MLF)

A Montana superintendent and presidential appointee explains federal initiatives (funded programs and directives) that school leaders can apply to their own violence-prevention work. These include support for zero-tolerance policies, community programs, afterschool activities, and school-uniform policies. Resource centers are listed. (MLH)

The superintendent of a wealthy, rural school district describes the unique context of schooling reform in Westchester County, New York. Pressures for reform coming from parents and the community lead to interschool competition and spark micropolitics that spill out into the community. Successful schools have greater autonomy and empowered…

A survey of 482 rural Texas superintendents examined their attitudes toward inclusion as a method of serving students with special needs. Superintendents were uncertain whether inclusion is the best method for serving special needs children and were more involved in planning for inclusion than in implementing it. Recommends actions rural…

Examines state takeovers in Logan County, West Virginia; Compton, California; and Jersey City, New Jersey. Lessons learned include align the local curriculum with state standards and tests; work to prevent administrator turnover; pick a realistic number of problems to address each year; open lines of communication with the community; maintain…

Discusses components of a successful facilities-improvement bond issue. Districts must have a clearly articulated mission statement; a unified board of education; an open visible superintendent; the ability to identify, quantify needs. Boards must be attuned to the electorate, develop an organized election campaign; communicate the message…

A former superintendent explains the value of teamwork for solving problems involving bus passes, budgets, and faculty attrition. His continuous-quality-improvement initiatives sparked creative impulses while underscoring the importance of redesigning work procedures and giving people the time and encouragement to be inventive. (MLH)

Reflecting on 43 interviews with eminent educational leaders from all backgrounds and political stripes, the author isolates five common characteristics: a bedrock belief in their work's usefulness, courage to swim upstream on behalf of their beliefs, possession of a social conscience, seriousness of purpose, and situational mastery. (MLH)

Many new, enthusiastic superintendents with backgrounds in business, law, and the military apply a service mentality and a results orientation. Profiles of Alan Bersin, John Stanford, Harold Levy, John Fryer, Brian Benzel, and Paul Vallas illustrate nontraditional leaders' challenges and accomplishments in the nation's largest school districts.…

Previous articles in this issue have provided the background for the new model for superintendent evaluation presented. The model recognizes the many facets of the superintendent's professional activities and attempts to encompass the evaluation of the superintendent's total performance. The flexible model will take on different forms as…

After three bond issues failed in De Soto, Kansas, the new superintendent, Marilyn Layman, moved immediately to build a districtwide consensus. A year later, voters passed a $14.7 million bond issue to construct a new high school and middle school with additional high and middle schools planned for the future. (MLF)

Relates the role of Al Sandrini, superintendent of the Norris (CA) School District, in expanding the school libraries, including materials and staffing. Discusses what made him a strong library advocate, investing district money in libraries, site-based management, and how school librarians can be strong advocates. (LRW)

The creator of the Policy Governance model explains a system whereby the superintendent/CEO is not responsible for governance. Under Policy Governance, the board is solely responsible for describing and fulfilling its own job (determining what the public purchases for the next generation), and the administrators run the schools. (MLH)