Superintendency and Innovation

The Superintendent is the CEO of the school system in its entirely.  It is the position that oversees all facets of the district, from personnel to academics to finance to community involvement.  The role of today’s superintendent has changed considerably in recent years (Berman, 2005).  The dynamics of society as they relate to schools have resulted in the superintendent, as the voice and face of “established education”,  often coming under fire (Hoyle, 2004).  Today’s superintendents must deal with internal and external political and governance issues that have arisen due to societal changes.  These issues, among others, have generated a new breed of superintendents who must be both committed as well a resilient.  On-the-job stress has also increased considerably, resulting in more turnover, increased mobility, and shorter tenures within the role. (Wilmore, 2011).  This, in turn, has resulted in a shortage of superintendents on the national level that is bordering on critical (Hoyle, 2004).  

        In this essay, the author will present the role of twenty first century superintendent, and what skills should the person in this position should possess.  In addition, this paper will provide examples and ideas that applies organizational and leadership theories that address positive school culture and principles of effective instruction. Furthermore, will provide steps that a school leader should use to assess and promote a positive school culture using multiple strategies, including those that are context-appropriate to capitalize on the diversity of the school community to improve school programs and culture.  Finally the paper will consider what are the complexities of the changing roles within the districts, the quickly changing nature and responsibility of the top district leadership role and the changing contexts in which today’s superintendent must work. Special attention will be given to culture and effective instruction, organization and group processes, and ethics and confidentiality issues.

School Culture

        District leaders should demonstrate skills in empowering others to reach high levels of performance. When school executives empower others, they empower themselves tenfold (Hoyle, Bjork, Collier & Glass, 2004). Sergiovanni (1996) supports the value of making schools "centers for caring" with flexible and inclusive leadership rather than traditional bureaucracies with a rigid management-over-workers hierarchy. School executives who wish to empower others should be good listeners, understand the social and cultural structure of the district, and above all understand the human side of the organization. Assumptions chief school officers make about the backgrounds, abilities, and motives of staff members will determine how well they empower them (Wilmore, 2002).  

        In addition, to grasp the complexities of a district's and a community's culture and become intimate with its way of doing things, chief school executives need to develop an enhanced understanding of the diverse cultures that are represented in their district.  Several strategies can be employed to learn more about community and district culture. Leading school executives constantly scan information gained from listening to a broad constituency of voters, reviewing city council decisions and school board minutes, and engaging in conversation with community power brokers and community leaders (Hoyle, Bjork, Collier & Glass, 2004; Wilmore, 2002).  Using such assessment methods, a chief executive officer can constantly scan the perceptions of staff and community about the school district's progress toward its vision and goals to help ensure quality education for all students. Data-driven decisions are vital in helping each student succeed and keeping faculty and staff morale and professionalism strong.