The Superintendent of Schools

Abstract

A new profession.-As we look back over the three-quarters of a century during which the office of superintendent of city schools has been in existence, a few names stand out with particular prominence as those of men who have laid-often against tremendous obstacles, often in conflict and contest to the end of their careers, and often by the sacrifice of much that men hold dearthe foundation principles of the new work to which they gave the best years of their lives. Doing a pioneer work, and often misunderstood and unappreciated by those with whom they labored, these men patiently blazed a trail for others to follow. As a recent writer has put it, traveled the trail at his own gait, with rations and blanket only, and never knowing, though caring much, where each year's tramping would end.'2 Out of this three-quarters of a century of trial, conflict, discussion, and experimentation, a profession of school supervision is at last being evolved. School supervision represents a new profession, and one which in time will play a very important part in the development of American life. jIn pecuniary,3 social, professional, and personal rewards it ranks with the other learned professions, while the call for city school superintendents of the right type is today greater than the call for lawyers, doctors, or ministers. The opportunities offered in this new profession to men of strong character, broad sympathies, high purposes, fine culture, courage, exact training, and executive skill, who are willing to take the time and spend the energy necessary to prepare themselves for large service, are not 'This article forms chap. x in the author's forthcoming book, Public School Administration, to be issued in the early winter, and is reproduced here by permission of the publishers, Houghton Mifflin Company, of Boston. 2 Gove, The Trail of the City Superintendent, p. 215. 3 The following average salaries of superintendents of schools in the cities of different size in the United States for i912-i3 are taken from the recent report on teachers' salaries, prepared by the National Education Association and issued by the