Research on the Superintendency

The purpose of this series is to explore complex issues facing school district superintendents, their school boards, and public education. These issues present wicked problems (Rittel & Webber, 1973) that often cannot be solved quickly or in isolation. Now, more than ever before, the work between the school district superintendent and their democratically elected or appointed school board is essential to create schools our students need and deserve. 

Superintendents must serve as informational hubs who facilitate the flow of information between, among, and across all school district stakeholders (Mountford & Alsbury, 2007). These stakeholders derive from complex, often pluralistic, macro- and micro-communities across key areas of educational governance (Mountford & Wallace, 2019). Perhaps the most vital stakeholder for the superintendent is their school board. A superintendent’s capacity to be a multi-directional informational hub to the broader community while working collaboratively with their school board is a powerful, yet politically delicate position to negotiate. The political nature of the superintendency and board relationship must be acknowledged and must not be underrated. Traditionally the superintendent is a political figure in most communities, they are generally able to rise above partisan politics and community pressure and put students and the district mission first. The Contemporary Superintendent Series explores these issues and freshly intense political polarization, culture wars, alongside continual threats to the institution at large.