The School Administrator

Sept 06 Cover

September 2006 Number 8, Vol. 63Influencing LearningSystems approaches to instructional leadership

Features

  • Influencing Transformative Learning for Leaders

    by Stephen H. Davis

    Superintendents are uniquely positioned to establish workplace conditions that stimulate powerful on-the-job learning experiences for school leaders. Powerful learning, says the author, a former superintendent, is learning that transforms deeply held beliefs, values, mental models or assumptions about students and teachers and the educational system that serves them.

    Similar Reading: Best Practices for Transforming Learning and Resources

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  • Creating Sustainable Reform

    by Christopher R. Brown and David Spangler

    Five urban school districts share common change principles for continuous improvement and lasting change. They are beginning to see favorable results.

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  • The ‘House’ in Half Hollow Hills

    by Sheldon Karnilow

    The superintendent in Half Hollow Hills, N.Y., says his primary goal is to move the school district from good to great. He developed a plan for erecting five pillars for systemic improvement.

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  • Establishing a Framework for Quality

    by Kirby Lehman

    Since the late 1990s, the Jenks, Okla., district has embraced a total quality framework based on W. Edwards Deming’s quality principles of strong leadership, continuous improvement, and a customer and systems focus. The superintendent tells what contributed to his district receiving a 2005 Baldrige honor.

    Similar Reading: Consulting the Baldrige Districts

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  • Bucking Conventional Wisdom

    by Marion Brady

    What needs overhaul most in K-12 schooling isn’t the bureaucracy, the staffing or the schedules. It’s the century-old curriculum.

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  • Supervisory Styles of Instructional Leaders

    by Rita Dunn and Robert Brasco

    Which leadership style, if any, is most effective in improving student achievement? The authors’ research identified a range, from collaborative to despotic, but no single answer to the question.

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Profile

    Starting in Faith and Committed to Caring by Jay P. Goldman


    The superintendent in Custer, S.D., Tim Creal, reaps benefits for his community through his national connections, including membership on the AASA Governing Board.

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    Departments

    Punchback: Answering Critics

    The Problem With Doomsday Dropout Data by Lawrence Mishel


    In truth, the dropout problem is concentrated in about 20 percent of high schools, but critics want to level an across-the-board indictment of public schools.read more
    Focus

    Hiring the Best and Retaining Them by Harvey P. Polansky and Martin Semmel


    The superintendent and assistant superintendent in Southington, Conn., describe the district’s four steps for hiring the best teachers and retaining high-achieving instructors far into the future.read more
    Guest Column

    The Road Less Traveled Probably Isn’t Paved by Sarah D. Jerome


    AASA’s president-elect contends schools should focus greater attention on the mental health and emotional intelligence of students.read more
    People

    People


    This month’s compilation of superintendency appointments and retirements from across the nation.read more
    Board-Savvy Superintendent

    Link Your Evaluation to District Performance by Donald R. McAdams


    Superintendents should make their evaluation process an instrument in support of their leadership, as well as a major annual event in their school communities.read more
    President's Corner

    A Quick Glance: Leadership Versus Culture by Eugene G. White


    How the author plans to use his opportunities as president of AASA and superintendent of Indianapolis Public Schools to weave change into the culture of both organizations.read more
    Executive Perspective

    Nearly Famous by Paul D. Houston


    The celebrity that accompanies the superintendency can make for unusual public encounters, but it also leads to greater accountability.read more
    Federal Dateline

    Using Data To Drive Policy by Terri Duggan Schwartzbeck


    An AASA senior policy analyst tries to get to the bottom of dropout rates by sorting out the conflicting data surrounding them.read more

    Book Reviews

    Change LeadershipA Practical Guide to Transforming Our Schools by Tony Wagner, Robert Kegan, Lisa Laskow Lahey, Richard W. Lemmons, Jude Garnier, Deborah Helsing, Annie Howell and Harriette Thurber Rasmussen