The evaluation of a superintendent is often a stressful, unpleasant experience for both the superintendent and the members of the school board. Typical board trustees have little experience in evaluating CEOs. Worse yet, they are hamstrung by the limitations inherent to their roles. They lack the advantage of a day-to-day working relationship with…

Sadly, the fiscal condition of school systems now not only is troublesome, but in some cases has surpassed all expectations for the worst-case scenario. Among the states, one common response is to drop funding for public education to inadequate levels, leading to permanent program cuts, school closures, staff layoffs, district dissolutions and…

Superintendents know they work and live in a giant fishbowl. School board members, teachers, community members and the news media have been known to scrutinize what kind of vehicle they drive, who they socialize with outside of work, whether they drink alcohol, where they live and when they leave the house each morning. But when the harsh glare of…

Many board of education members question the importance of superintendent evaluations. Others consider it a thankless job. During the author's 28 years as a member of the school board of the 3,300-student Fitzgerald Public Schools in Warren, Michigan, he has participated in several evaluations and can attest to their value. In this article, the…

Every program in a school or school district has, or once had, a purpose. The purpose was most likely promoted, argued and debated among school constituencies--parents, teachers, administrators and school board members--before it was eventually approved. This process occurs year after year, budget after budget. In itself, this is not necessarily a…

School boards sometimes want their superintendents to live within school district boundaries. However, this is one place, the author believes, where school boards need to show some flexibility and consider individual family needs. Unlike field hands, superintendents should have some choices about where to live, where their spouse works and where…

This article shares the authors' personal stories that shed light on what to watch out for when the board takes up a performance review. The authors describe what they considered less-than-satisfying experiences with their board of education's process of performance assessment. They offered to do so with candor in hopes of helping their colleagues…

The author, who has retired as Scarsdale elementary principal, was asked by the superintendent Michael McGill if he was interested in leading Scarsdale's green initiative. Early on in Scarsdale, they referred to their work as the "green initiative." After agreeing to lead the initiative, he set out to learn more about greening at K-12…

This article describes how a school district's use of a transparent tool coalesced support for systemic improvement. The author was looking for a way to push improvement in his 4,000-student school system when he discovered the balanced scorecard, a strategic tool for performance management. The author details how the balanced scorecard helped him…

Board of education members come and go, but the community remains. Wise candidates for a superintendent position, as well as the dedicated board members involved in fulfilling this important duty, understand this and therefore want the public to be part of the superintendent search process. As a search consultant to school boards for 20 years, the…

How is it that smart administrators who want to do a good job often find themselves in situations that degenerate into confrontation and, ultimately, termination? In this article, the author discusses why in terms of a model of leadership--which he refers to it as WICS, an acronym for wisdom, intelligence and creativity synthesized. He describes…

Aligning a school board policy manual with the faculty handbook would be an excellent application of systems thinking in support of school district mission and goals. This article talks about changing sound assessment practice in accordance with the school's proper policy. One obstacle to changing assessment practice is the prevailing belief that…

In the four years since Courageous Journey was launched, the impact has permeated the Michigan Association of School Administrators (MASA). Already, 16 of 47 council and executive board members have joined a cohort. The Courageous Journey's Seven Points of Learning (or seven major superintendent responsibilities) help frame the organization's…

This article features Mapleton Public School District, located in Adams County, Colorado. In policy and practice, the school system in Mapleton has committed to a positive, long-term institutional legacy by developing future leaders. In fall 2007, Mapleton's board of education unanimously passed a simple, single sentence aimed at maintaining…

Women are challenged most by cultural norms, particularly sex-role norms, religious and political ideologies, and gender-structured opportunities that favor men. Although some stereotypes have loosened a bit, dilemmas remain for women who aspire to fill school district leadership positions. The author's predicament is not unique. It is something…