Role of the Superintendent of Schools in District Turnaround

Role of the Superintendent of Schools in District Turnaround

Introduction

American school districts' actions can either lead schools to greater success or stifle progress in student learning. Yet, despite their central role in education, school districts are among the least understood components of the nation's public education infrastructure (Kwalwasser, 2012). Often, the school board and district staff are considered no more than middlemen in the education enterprise, passing federal and state funds on to schools — where the “real work” of education takes place — and keeping track of school compliance with federal and state laws, regulations and policies (Herman & Winters, 2010).

Discussion

Profiles of the Seven Districts

Abel County

Abel County is a small, rural district in a state that passed a major education reform initiative in the early 1990s that provides substantial site-based leadership for its schools. For example, school principals in the state are interviewed and selected by the members of a school council. The state does not have a graduation test, removing a hurdle that substantially lowers graduation rates in many other states in the nation. Abel County outperforms state averages on the reading and math academic indices at the elementary, middle grades and high school levels (Kwalwasser, 2012). The county's only high school is a member of the HSTW network, and its scores on the 2008 HSTW Assessment were at the 76th percentile in science and above the 80th percentile in both reading and math (Herman & Winters, 2010). The student population in the district is more than 90 percent white, and 46 percent of its students qualify for free and reduced-price lunches. The superintendent at the time of the interviews subsequently took a position as the superintendent of another district in the state, and the school board promoted another district leader interviewed for this study to become the superintendent (Leithwood, Harris & Strauss, 2010).

Archer County

Archer County is a medium-sized, suburban district on the fringe of a major metropolitan area, with rapidly changing demographics, including a growing minority population. About 16 percent of students in the state do not pass one or more parts of the state comprehensive graduation exams, contributing to a statewide issue of low graduation rates (and correspondingly high dropout rates). It is therefore noteworthy that Archer County's graduation rate exceeds the state average (Herman & Winters, 2010). The district's student population is approximately 50 percent black, 35 percent white and 9 percent Hispanic. The superintendent has been recognized as an outstanding leader in the state. Broad County: Broad County is a medium-sized district some distance from major urban areas, but containing a medium-sized town. It also faces issues relating to comprehensive exams lowering graduation rates. Fifty-five percent of the district's students are white, 37 percent are black, and 6 percent are Hispanic, although the Hispanic population is growing (Fairchild & DeMary, 2011). The district has a significant tourism industry and substantial wealth disparities among the students it serves. Forty-eight percent of students in the district qualify for free and ...