The Contemporary Superintendent

A strong superintendent is critical to the success of an entire school district, and this exciting new resource details the issues surrounding the state policies that appoint superintendents.

The role, practice, and preparation of today and tomorrow′s superintendent!

A strong superintendent is critical to the success of an entire school district. So why is it one of the most deregulated positions? Over the past several decades, many states have either rescinded licensing requirements for school district superintendents or abandoned regulations altogether.The Contemporary Superintendent offers a scholarly and objective analysis of the issues surrounding the state policies that appoint superintendents.

Lars G. Björk and Theodore Kowalski have developed a coherent guide to critical professional aspects such as superintendent licensures, professional preparation, and staff development. Featuring the research of educational leadership specialists, this resource is not to be missed!

The Contemporary Superintendent includes:

• Quality strategies by the field′s top scholars to implement decisive practices for superintendents
• Detailed analysis of the concerns over superintendent qualifications and preparations
• An examination of past, present, and future practices of superintendents
• A distinct look at the evolution of the role of the superintendent

Developed over a three-year period, the authors have compiled a collection of useful, hands-on strategies for aspiring and existing superintendents, as well as ideas for adoption in the educational administration, leadership professional development, and educational policy areas.

Preface
About the Editors
About the Contributors
1. Evolution of the School District Superintendent Position by Theodore J. Kowalski
2. Characteristics of American School Superintendents by Lars G. Björk, Thomas E. Glass, and C. Cryss Brunner
3. National Education Reform Reports: Implications for Professional Preparation and Development by Lars G. Björk, Theodore J. Kowalski, and Michelle D. Young
4. Learning Theory and Research: A Framework for Changing Superintendent Preparation and Development by Lars G. Björk, Theodore J. Kowalski, and Tricia Browne-Ferrigno
5. The Superintendent as Instructional Leader: Current Practice, Future Conceptualizations, and Implications for Preparation by George J. Petersen and Bruce G. Barnett
6. Superintendent as Organizational Manager by Tricia Browne-Ferrigno and Thomas E. Glass
7. Superintendent as Educational Statesman and Political Strategist by Lars G. Björk and D. Keith Gurley
8. Reconceptualizing the Superintendency: Superintendents as Applied Social Scientists and Social Activists by Bonnie C. Fusarelli and Lance D. Fusarelli
9. Preparing Superintendents to Be Effective Communicators by Theodore J. Kowalski and John L. Keedy
10. Women Superintendents and Role Conception: (Un)Troubling the Norms by Margaret Grogan and C. Cryss Brunner
11. Superintendents of Color: Perspectives on Racial and Ethnic Diversity and Implications for Professional Preparation and Practice by Juanita Cleaver Simmons
Index