Public School Superintendents Research Articles

Leaders in action: The experiences of seven Texas superintendents before, during, and after Hurricane Harvey

The devastating impact of Hurricane Harvey on school districts along the Texas coast in 2017 required public school superintendents to provide strong, decisive leadership for their students, staff, and communities. Limited research exists on the experiences of superintendents who lead during times of crisis. The purpose of this study was to explore how superintendents understood the conditions of their leadership and decisions made before, during, and after Hurricane Harvey. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) was used to explore two questions: (1) how do superintendents make sense of their world and experiences during a crisis? (2) how do superintendents describe actions made in context of a crisis? Technical-adaptive leadership combined with sensemaking served as theoretical frames. Interviews and a focus group were conducted over the course of a year. Superintendents recalled their experiences chronologically, revealing leadership experiences and action that happened sequentially. Findings are separated by four distinct episodes in which superintendents enabled sensemaking and action, and featured by representative quotes and vignettes to foreground the critical issues as reported by the superintendents. The findings suggest that their experiences and action taken were situated in terms of school district vulnerability, leadership development, and networks of collaboration and advocacy.

Leadership Tenacity and Public-School Superintendents

Leadership tenacity for school superintendents rests largely upon experience, grit, and subsequently resilience as they balance the pressures of the operational challenges of school operation with the instructional needs of the children they serve. Through this study, the authors identified the critical aspects of how effective superintendents may have developed and whether deliberate practice was evidenced in their experience. The superintendent’s perseverance to doing what matters over an extended period of time and under challenging conditions contributes to leadership grit and resilience. Viewed through the lens of these superintendents, experience, grit, and resilience influence leadership tenacity interdependent, but not limited to the theory of deliberate practice and transformational leadership.

Sexuality Curriculum Policies

This study examined sexuality education policies of school districts following the enactment of a law by the state of Iowa in 2007 requiring schools to include curriculum related to human growth and development education. The authors compared responses from superintendents in rural and urban areas in the state of Iowa regarding their districts’ sexuality curriculum policies. All public school superintendents in Iowa (n=364) were mailed a survey; 131 (36%) responded. The sample was representative of the state both geographically and by size of district. Findings indicate that while rural states (or more-rural areas within rural states) may be publically perceived to be more conservative than urban areas, their sexuality education policies show little statistical difference. Additionally, Iowa’s sexuality education policies were found to be equally or more inclusive in comparison to previously reported national results. Community opposition to sexuality education was not evident. Superintendents indicated that state directives were the most influential factor driving district policies on sexuality education.

A Longitudinal Study of Violence Prevention by Georgia’s Rural Public School Superintendents: Three Decades of Changes and Continuities

A Longitudinal Study of Violence Prevention by Georgia’s Rural Public School Superintendents: Three Decades of Changes and Continuities

Public School Board Presidents’ and Superintendents’ Perceptions of the Characteristics of Effective Superintendents in a Midwestern State

The expectation for strong superintendent leadership has increased due to a demand for greater student achievement and accountability. This study examined public school board presidents’ and superintendents’ perceptions of the characteristics superintendents must possess to effectively lead in today's complex educational system. A researcher-developed survey instrument was used to collect data from public school board presidents and superintendents in a Midwestern state. Computation of item means indicated school board presidents perceived developing a close, positive, and productive relationship with the school board, developing a culture and climate which enhances teacher morale and student achievement, developing partnerships between school and community, developing budgets and manage fiscal matters, and visibility throughout the community and district as the most important characteristics of effective superintendents. Superintendents perceived developing a culture and climate which enhances teacher morale and student achievement, developing a close positive, and productive relationship with the school board, building a team atmosphere and coherence, developing budgets and manage fiscal matters, and communicating with stakeholders as the most important characteristics of effective superintendents. School board presidents considered involvement of stakeholders in collaborative goal-setting and monitoring as well as superintendent visibility throughout the community and district to be significantly more important than did superintendents. In contrast, superintendents believed recruiting, selecting, developing personnel, and implementing effective evaluation structures to be significantly more important than did the superintendents. Independent sample t tests revealed that small district public school superintendents perceived recruiting, selecting, developing personnel, and implementing effective evaluation structures as significantly more important than small district school board presidents did ( p < .05). There was no statistically significant difference in perceptions for the 20 characteristics of effective superintendents between large district board presidents and superintendents, or between less experienced school board presidents and superintendents ( p < .05). More experienced school board members perceived involving stakeholders in collaborative goal-setting and monitoring to be statistically significantly more important than did more experienced superintendents ( p < .05).

The Recruitment and Retention of African American Women as Public School Superintendents

This qualitative study was based on a phenomenological narrative design that specifically addresses the issues of recruitment and retention of African American women in the public school superintendency. The narratives of eight African American women participants identified common similarities and differences about race, gender, and social politics as applied to recruitment and retention of public school superintendents. When African American women are hired for and able to maintain the public school superintendency, they in fact are learning, teaching, and modeling how to overcome racism, sexism, and oppressive sociopolitics. This is not to say that every African American woman hired as a public school superintendent has the capacity to become a transformative leader within a school district, but rather their mere presence in the position demonstrates their individual ability to transcend the challenges presented throughout this study.

School Superintendents' Perceptions of Schools Assisting Students in Obtaining Public Health Insurance

Superintendents' perceptions regarding the effect of health insurance status on academics, the role schools should play in the process of obtaining health insurance, and the benefits/barriers to assisting students in enrolling in health insurance were surveyed. Superintendents' basic knowledge of health insurance, the link between health and learning, and specific school system practices for assisting students were also examined. A 4-page questionnaire was sent to a national random sample of public school superintendents using a 4-wave postal mailing. Only 19% of school districts assessed the health insurance status of students. School districts' assistance in helping enroll students in health insurance was assessed using Stages of Change theory; 36% of superintendents' school districts were in the action or maintenance stages. The schools most often made health insurance materials available to parents (53%). The perceived benefits identified by more than 80% of superintendents were to keep students healthier, reduce the number of students with untreated health problems, reduce school absenteeism, and improvement of students' attention/concentration during school. The 2 most common perceived barriers identified by at least 50% of superintendents were not having enough staff or financial resources. Most superintendents believed schools should play a role in helping students obtain health insurance, but the specific role was unclear. Three fourths of superintendents indicated overwhelmingly positive beliefs regarding the effects of health insurance status on students' health and academic outcomes. School personnel and public policy makers can use the results to support collaboration in getting students enrolled in health insurance.

Perceptions of Texas Public School Superintendents Regarding Online Teacher Education

This study examined Texas public school administrator perceptions of online teacher education. Of primary concern were superintendent perceptions of online teacher education as it exists today. Data for the study were collected through the use of a survey questionnaire. The survey consisted of nine items where participants were asked to respond to a Likert scale format and one open-ended question in which respondents were asked to provide comments or suggestions regarding online teacher education. The researcher used regular and electronic mail to survey a random sample of one-hundred-fifty public school superintendents in the state of Texas. Seventy-two superintendents responded to the survey which represented a response rate of forty -seven percent. Based on the limitations of the study the following conclusions were made: Superintendents within the state of Texas apparently had negative opinions and perceptions regarding the use of online courses to train future teachers. A large majority of the superintendents did not fully agree that online courses or programs would fully prepare future teachers for conditions that would be faced within the public schools. Specific areas such as classroom management and the social aspects of teaching were not viewed as being positive in terms of online preparation. Other areas such as the theories and principles of teaching were viewed in a neutral light by the superintendents. Several of the administrators noted that online courses and programs would not be adequate without an abundance of field experiences and student teaching. Superintendents appeared to be very concerned that many of the teachers prepared online would possibly not endure the rigors of the classroom without having real classroom experience. Several administrators noted that future teachers needed to be taught by mentors in a real classroom setting in order to enhance modeling. Texas public school administrators appear to be open-minded to this new methodology but appear to be unconvinced that it will prepare teachers for the challenges that teachers face. Results agree with earlier results in two different regions of the country.

Perceptions of Female and Male Superintendents for a Middle School Principalship as Moderated by Sex and National Origin of Applicants

A 2 x 2 x 2 factorial design involving sex of superintendents, sex of applicants, and national origin of applicants (Hispanic vs. non-Hispanic) is used to assess screening decisions for a middle school principalship. Screening decisions are analyzed from a sequential model to capture selection as a process. Results indicate that biases surface early for male superintendents relative to the national origin of job candidates. Our research indicates the playing field for Hispanic job candidates is less than level for leadership positions at middle schools when assessed by male public school superintendents even when Hispanic job candidates are equally qualified as compared to their non-Hispanic counterparts.

The Perceptions of Female School Leaders of the Obstacles and Enablers that Affected Their Career Paths to Educational Administration

n 1909 Ella Flagg Young, the first female superintendent of Chicago Public Schools, predicted thatmore women than men would be at the helm of most twentieth century school systems. Young’sprediction emanated from a belief, held by other influential leaders of her time, that teaching was awoman’s natural vocation, for it advanced a woman’s maternal instincts of caretaking and nurturing.Unfortunately, at the beginning of the twenty-first century, her prediction has not been fulfilled. Almost ahundred years after Young’s prediction, less than five percent of public school superintendents arewomen and less than twenty-seven percent of public secondary school principals are women (Digest ofEducational Statistics, 2004). Despite the fact that teaching has remained a feminized profession,educational administration continues to be dominated by males (Glazer, 1991), making this disparityone of education’s most challenging issues.

The CADRE Project: Looking at the Development of Beginning Teachers

The CADRE Project is a collaborative teacher induction effort between higher education and K-12 practitioners. The Metropolitan Omaha Educational Consortium (MOEC), comprised of seven metropolitan Omaha public school districts and the University of Nebraska at Omaha College of Education, coordinates this project. This project is a true collaborative effort involving public school superintendents, university administrators, and faculty and staff from both entities.

Superintendents in Classrooms: From Collegial Conversation to Collaborative Action

What happens when a group of public school superintendents comes together to form a community of practice for the improvement of teaching and learning? Can the members identify questions of practice and then collect, analyze, and interpret data from practice in order to improve it? Those who have taken part in the Connecticut Superintendents' Network have shown the collective will and persistence to do exactly that. (1) Established and facilitated by the Connecticut Center for School Change, a school reform organization, the Network is grounded in a theory of action concerning professional development for administrators. All participating superintendents agree with Andrew Lachman, executive director of the Center, and Jane Tedder, its education program officer, that learning is both situated and social. That is, professional adults learn not through workshops but through multiple opportunities to examine real problems with peers. (2) And capitalizing on this social nature of learning is the concept of a community of practice--a professional group engaged in the sustained pursuit of a shared enterprise (3) for the purpose of learning and building capacity. Members work together to test out ideas, critique one another's work, offer alternative conceptualizations, and provide both emotional and intellectual support. (4) The Network's goals are: * to develop superintendents' knowledge and skills to lead large-scale instructional improvement; * to assist superintendents in developing distributed leadership (5) throughout their districts--that is, building a cadre of knowledgeable and skilled leaders who assume responsibility for developing their own practice around the pursuit of improvement; and * to enable superintendents to build an infrastructure that supports the work of improvement--evaluation, professional growth, networks, and opportunities for collaboration. As of its fourth year, the Network consisted of 12 superintendents who had been wrestling with establishing high quality teaching and improving student learning in classrooms throughout their districts. Six of the members had participated for three years; three, for two years; and three, for one year. Six of the superintendents were women; two were African American. Their districts were geographically and demographically diverse, serving more than 57,000 students and operating in locales ranging from postindustrial cities to affluent suburbs and less wealthy towns. In addition to the practicing superintendents, Lachman and Tedder are members of the Network, as are Richard Elmore of Harvard; David Nee, executive director of the William Caspar Graustein Memorial Fund; and Sharon Rallis of the University of Massachusetts. This blended network of practitioners, professors, and change agents is committed to a process in which members go into schools to observe teaching and learning directly and then support one another in solving problems that they have identified through what they have seen in practice. The group meets monthly and focuses on a problem related to student learning in a particular school identified by a member superintendent. We visit that school, conducting 20-minute observations in several classrooms and collecting data to address the problem. After the observations, we meet with the school leaders to talk about what we saw. During the following month, we meet to analyze the instructional issues raised by our observations, to consider the implications and potential solutions, and to make sense of what we have learned. Elmore helps focus the sessions and connects theory and research to practice; Rallis documents the discourse. Here we tell the story of how the Network developed and how it operates. We also discuss what we have learned, both about the process of creating the community and about the role of leadership in improving teaching and learning in schools. …

Tempered Radicals and Servant Leaders: Black Females Persevering in the Superintendency

Despite the small numbers of Black female superintendents and the overwhelming obstacles of the position, Black women who serve as public school superintendents continue to meet the challenges of educational leadership and are flourishing in their jobs. As noted in previous research on Black women in the superintendency and Black female leaders in general, there remains a paucity of research. What is it about these women that keeps them in these positions? This article will focus on Black female superintendents’ persistence in their positions in relation to the concepts of tempered radicalism and servant leadership.

Youth Suicide Prevention: A Survey of Public School Superintendents' Acceptability of School‐Based Programs

From a random sample of members of the 2000-2001 membership directory of the American Association of School Administrators (AASA), public school administrators' acceptability ratings of three school-based programs for the prevention of adolescent suicide were examined. A total of 210 (46%) respondents examined a description of a suicide prevention program and completed a measure designed to evaluate the acceptability of suicide prevention programs. Three suicide prevention programs were evaluated for their acceptability, and included: (a) school-wide curriculum-based programs presented to students; (b) in-service presentations to school staff; and (c) self-report screening programs for students. The results indicated that superintendents rated the staff in-service training and curriculum-based programs as significantly more acceptable than the school-wide screening program. In addition, the school-wide screening program was rated as significantly more intrusive by school psychologists than the staff in-service training or curriculum-based prevention programs. Limitations of the study and future research directions are discussed.

Attitudes toward Curricular String instruction among South Georgia's Public School Superintendents

This study seeks to answer the question: What are the attitudes of South Georgia public school superintendents toward curricular string instruction? A10-item questionnaire was developed and sent to 44 rural public school superintendents. Eighty-four percent of the superintendents (N = 37) responded to the questionnaire. The primary findings of this survey regarding the respondents’ school district music curriculum indicated that 89.2% of the districts did not offer curricular string instruction. The primary findings regarding the respondents’ thoughts about string instruction indicated that if money were not a factor, 78.4% of the respondents would like their school board to hire a string teacher.

School Superintendents’ Choices of Professional Periodicals

In this national survey of public school superintendents, respondents indicated the “best” and the most read from a list of 34 periodicals in education leadership. Their top choices for both highest quality and most read were, in order, Educational Leadership, Phi Delta Kappan, School Administrator, and American School Board Journal. Their primary criterion for selecting these journals was practical utility, not refereed scholarship. Therefore, professors who conduct research and publish it solely in journals perceived as unfamiliar to practitioners are, at least in the field of education leadership, missing a broader audience and direct influence on practice. Additionally, other education periodicals were not ranked often, but at least one periodical outside of education— Newsweek—ranked second only to Educational Leadership, among the responding superintendents for actual usage.

Superintendents' Intentions toward DARE: Results from a Statewide Survey

This investigation assessed superintendents' beliefs and intentions toward Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) and drug prevention programming, using a modified Theory of Planned Behavior as a framework. The study's primary purpose was to predict intentions toward future reliance on DARE. In June 2000 an anonymous mail survey was sent to all 611 public school superintendents in Ohio. The response rate was 71.5%. DARE was used by 85 to 87% of the state's public school districts. A large majority of the superintendents (88.2%) reported that they intended to rely on the program in the future. Most held either incorrect information about DARE's efficacy (29.0%) or acknowledged that that they were uninformed about DARE outcome research (33.6%). A multiple logistic regression analysis found that intention to use DARE in the future was positively associated with normative beliefs about community support for the program and negatively related with perceptions of their ability to replace drug prevention curricula in their district. The findings suggest that superintendents' positive intentions toward DARE were formed to avert conflict with adults in the school district and community. The dissemination of evidence-based drug prevention strategies will likely require stimulating parental demand for efficacious programming, in addition to educating school officials.

Tacit Knowledge of School Superintendents: Its Nature, Meaning, and Content

This article maps the content and quantity of tacit knowledge of a sample of Ohio public school superintendents. Tacit knowledge of the superintendents was collected via interviews using a combination of critical incident and Sense-making methodologies to elicit examples of tacit knowledge acquired during their careers. The examples were culled and coded into antecedent and consequent behaviors, and hierarchical cluster analysis was performed using the 469 tacit knowledge items generated across the participants. A total of 21 categories describe the tacit knowledge of the entire superintendent group. Finally, differences in categories and amounts of tacit knowledge were found between “reputationally successful” and “typical” superintendents.

Sexism, Silence, and Solutions: Women Superintendents Speak Up and Speak Out

Women as a group continue to be underrepresented in the ranks of American public school superintendents. Since the mid-1970s, researchers have attempted to account for the continued domination of the public school superintendency by men, but even in research that has moved beyond traditional paradigms, barriers to gaining insight into women superintendents’ experiences from their own viewpoints have persisted. The qualitative case study on which this article is based was designed to break down some of those barriers by using a participatory research design that included the women participants’own analyses of their experiences and that explored their proposed solutions for the problems surrounding their inequitable treatment. The authors discuss three interrelated parts of the study results—the sexism that is part of the culture of the superintendency, the silence of the educational administration profession about women superintendents’discriminatory experiences, and the study participants’proposed solutions for the problems of sexism and silence.

The Administrative Contract: Implications for Reform

While most public school principals and superintendents must be awarded annual or multi-year employment contracts by their school districts, such contracts offer little protection from reassignment to a lesser position or even from dismissal. Inadequate remedies for breach of employment contracts subject school administrators to working solely at the pleasure of their school boards.