June 2018: School Administrator
Systems of Professional Support
This issue focuses on Capacity Building
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Additional Articles
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A Districtwide Community of LearnersSchool and district leaders across the country are working to lead one-to-one technology initiatives in their districts with varying degrees of success.
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Reimagined Staff DevelopmentA district in California ties micro-credentialing of teachers to their collaborative work with their students in solving real-world situations
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Mission SupportA survey asked about community backing of districts’ academic and financial values.
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A Confidentiality PledgeOur ethics panel differs on handling alleged plagiarism by a school staff member while completing graduate studies.
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Partisan vs. Nonpartisan Board Elections
The author’s study found differences in the conduct of the board when the contenders align themselves with a political party.
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On Life, Learning and Leadership
EARLIER THIS YEAR, the day finally arrived in my life. It was a possibility that had grown stronger in recent years, but until I announced I would retire in June after more than four decades in education, the last 13 as a superintendent, the subject was distant in my thoughts.
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Reaping Top Talent With a Data Harvest
DATA ARE SEXY. You might not think so, but I do. That’s because I’ve seen the power of data to aid school districts with one of their most daunting tasks: ensuring an effective principal leads every school.
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Bullying: 'We Care ... We Can Help'
MY SCHOOL DISTRICT was hit hard by the deeply troubling news we received in late March about the death of a 12-year-old student by suicide.
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Celebrating SuperintendentsWE ALL KNOW that one size does not fit all when it comes to the education of children. Superintendents across this nation also understand that equity is a promise that must be kept in our public schools.
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Sworn to ProtectThe new normal: Balancing every school campus between safety and a conducive learning environment.
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Capacity Building in My Direct ReportsConnecting the aspirations of our administrators to organizational goals and furthering the process through weekly check-ins
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Three Common-Sense Principles to Share With Principals
Few things are more frustrating or challenging for a superintendent than hiring a principal who appears to possess all the requisite qualities of an effective educational leader only to see him or her stumble over common-sense mistakes.
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Giving the Gift of Time at Opening In-Service
Like many school districts, we start the school year with a large kickoff meeting for all employees.
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When Parents Blow the Whistle on CoachesWhat school leaders might consider when they land in the midst of a virulent, cross-community debate over the character of a varsity coach.
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Unleash Humor Wisely in Your PostsThe importance of tone and voice when sharing messages on Twitter and Facebook.
Staff
Editor's Note
A Go-To Source
School Administrator, June 2018
When I think about educators I’ve relied
on over my time as editor to help me understand real-world applications
of organizational leadership research, Mary Herrmann is one of the first
on my contact list. She’s been a superintendent in three school systems
in Illinois and Missouri, an AASA member since 1997 and a clinical
assistant professor for the last six years at the University of Illinois
at Urbana-Champaign.
That combination of experiences makes Herrmann an ideal explainer of ideas. She can write clearly and illustratively about leadership practice without bogging down the message in the jargon of education. When she worked in the superintendency, Herrmann was one of the few I knew who subscribed to Harvard Business Review and attended executive development seminars at Harvard Business School.
In this issue, Herrmann and her daughter Jessica have contributed an important piece about the duty of superintendents to help first-year administrators evolve more comfortably into their new roles. They submitted their draft manuscript about 16 months ago, when Jessica was midway through her first year as a support coordinator at a large high school outside Chicago. Mary told me her daughter’s challenges mirrored those of her graduate students as they transitioned from teaching to administration.
I trust her latest contribution will benefit our readers.
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