Theodore J. Kowalski

Evolution of the School Superintendent as Communicator.

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 conceptualizations: superintendent as a teacher of teachers, as manager, as statesman, or as applied social scientist. Experience arising from the current school reform movement demonstrates that relationship-enhancing communication rather than top-down dicta are necessary for advancing educational agendas. National standards documents governing the training and qualifications of school superintendents do allude to communication competence, but provide inadequate foundation or elaboration. In particular, movement toward improving superintendent communication competence is attenuated by three deficiencies: (1) the failure to define competency in relation to this position, (2) the absence of curricular guidelines for achieving competency, and (3) the absence of criteria for assessing competency. Current theory and research provide avenues for elevating the value placed on communication in professional preparation for school superintendents.

Need to Address Evidence-Based Practice in Educational Administration

Purpose: This article presents a case for addressing evidence-based practice (EBP) in educational administration. Content is arranged around four objectives: (a) summarizing the status of educational administration as a profession, (b) defining evidence and the model, (c) explaining EBPs social and professional merit, and (d) identifying barriers that may prevent the concept from being understood correctly, accepted philosophically, and implemented appropriately. Proposed Conceptual Argument: The need to consider EBP is framed by societys demand for greater accountability from professions, the realities of practice in an information-based society, and a proclivity to rely on the theory of legal accountability to improve schools. In the aftermath of the No Child Left Behind Act, critics have portrayed educational administration as a field lacking internal accountability, epistemological consistency, and a focused research agenda. The alleged deficiencies may be contributing to an erosion of state licensing laws for superintendents and principals and casting a cloud over the future of educational administration departments. Implications: Reliance on external accountability in the absence of internal accountability is unlikely to improve schools or to provide social authority for educational administration. Instead of continuing to agree to disagree over the most fundamental issues, scholars in this field need to define EBP in a manner that integrates empirical evidence, tacit knowledge, and values and then conduct research to determine the concepts effectiveness.

Distributive Leadership, Civic Engagement, and Deliberative Democracy as Vehicles for School Improvement.

Elements of directed autonomy were visible in public education long before the concept had been defined in the scholarly literature on organizational management. Most notably, states established common curricula and adequacy standards and then held local school boards accountable for compliance. Civic engagement, a liberty-based process through which citizens exercise authority and power, was integral to this political arrangement (Cooper, Fusarelli, & Randall, 2004). After 1900, however, citizen involvement in public education began waning, largely because of an intricate mix of progressive reforms and professionalism that disconnected schools from their communities (Callahan, 1962; Kochan & Reed, 2005; Reese, 2001). This trend has become a major concern of political scientists, sociologists, and educational researchers who view the disengagement of the public from institutions such as public education as a major threat to the institutions legitimacy and survival (Cibulka, 1996; McGinn, 1996; McNeil, 2002; Putnam, 1995). McNeil goes so far as to argue, “there has perhaps been no time in our history when the links between public education and democracy have been as tenuous as they are right now” (2002, p. 243). This article focuses on efforts to reconnect the public and promote civic engagement in education by distributing leadership throughout the educational system utilizing the process of deliberative democracy. Applications of distributive leadership and deliberative democracy are examined in relation to two critical components: leadership behavior and conflict management.

Novice Superintendent Perceptions of Preparation Adequacy and Problems of Practice

This article reports the results of a survey of novice superintendents in California, Missouri, North Carolina, and Ohio. The research provides a profile of novice superintendents and their opinions regarding the adequacy of academic preparation and the problems they encountered after entering this challenging position. Findings indicate that the novices were typical demographically of all superintendents, and generally, they were satisfied with their academic preparation. However, they were highly focused on managerial problems, an outcome likely explained by nature of their employing districts. The typical novice was employed in a district that (a) was rural (b) enrolled less than 1,000 students, and (c) was below average in taxable wealth. Findings and conclusions provide insights for improving academic preparation and for considering changes to state policy that could affect qualifications for this challenging position.

The Superintendent and Educational Reform in the United States of America

During the last two decades the intensity and complexity of educational reform in the United States of America have heightened interest among policymakers, practitioners, and professors in large-scale, systemic change. As a consequence, superintendents are being viewed as pivotal actors in the complex algorithm for managing districts and leading policy implementation efforts. The challenges—both perceived and real—have provided grist for national debates on superintendent roles, expectations, and effectiveness as school system leaders. This article presents an analysis of discursive stages in the evolution of the American superintendency in response to external and internal change forces within school systems.