Confronting Oppressive Assessments by Polka Walter S.;McKenna John William;

Author:Polka, Walter S.;McKenna, John William;
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Incorporated

Chapter 7

Superintendents’ Perspectives

Fighting for Local Control and Justice in Education for All

Jeffrey Robert Rabey

The evolution of the position of the superintendent of schools began in the mid-1800s starting in Buffalo, New York, in 1837 (Grieder, Pierce, & Jordan, 1969). This development was immediately followed by the establishment of the first state board of education, which was “established in Massachusetts in 1837 and was headed by Horace Mann, an individual best known for his tireless crusade for free common schools” (Goldin, 1999, p. 6).

Horace Mann was most interested in the education of people and was focused on school policy. On April 20, 1837, he left his law practice to become the Massachusetts Secretary of Education (Cremin, 1957). By 1900, most city school districts had a superintendent of schools due to the increased complexity of the system and the sheer size of the districts (Kamler, 2009; Kowalski, 2003). Currently there are more than 14,000 school districts within the United States and the majority of districts have a superintendent of schools (NCES, 2011).

Presently in New York State, there are approximately 730 superintendents or chief school officers (NYSCOSS, 2012). The SNAPSHOT 2012 is a report released by the New York State Council of School Superintendents (NYSCOSS) which outlined that the position of superintendent is demanding and stressful. However, excessive stress can interfere with superintendents’ effectiveness and can lead to decreased longevity and increased turnover, hampering long-term stability within the school district (Litchka et al., 2009). Superintendents are expected to assume many roles in school districts—day-to-day administrator, instructional leader, public voice, financial manager, political advocate, and more (NYSCOSS, 2012).

The mean age of chief school officers in New York State is about 52.6 years overall. Female superintendents in New York are slightly older than men (55.5 years versus 53.3 years, respectively). The findings in 2012 showed that 42.4% of respondents in their first superintendency were between the ages of 41 and 49 years, but conversely only 14.5% of the respondents from the same age bracket were veteran superintendents, which NYSCOSS considers individuals with more than 1-year experience. Those statistics indicate a shift in the age of the superintendency.

The superintendents within the aforementioned age bracket may not be inexperienced within their district, as it is more common for Boards of Education to hire internal candidates (current district employees and former employees) as their superintendents. The most recent statistics highlighted that 40% of the new superintendents report being internal candidates (NYSCOSS, 2012). However, large numbers of retirements, increased expectations, and mounting political pressures have resulted in a diminished talent pool for school superintendents (Kamler, 2009). Consequently, it is predicted that with the new reform initiatives, coupled with the negative public fallout from those initiatives being poorly implemented, the diminishing talent pool will only accelerate.

The demographics for superintendents in New York State indicate that there are various factors which delay a person’s decision to becoming a superintendent, specifically gender and ethnicity. Furthermore, once in the superintendency, there are significant stressors that impact success and longevity in the position (Kowalski,

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