November 2023: School Administrator
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Additional Articles
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The Superintendent Sabbatical: Uncommon But Not SingularMaria Libby’s six-month sabbatical in 2022 from her superintendent duties in Camden, Maine, may strike some as unique, yet a handful of other superintendents have been granted ex-tended time off in the past few years.
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Caught in the CrosshairsReconceptualizing the superintendency with place at its center, lending a value-added leadership approach when division arises in schooling.
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Watershed Opportunities: Combating Hatred for the Soul of AmericaApplying situational leadership tactics that move accordingly “above and below the line” when times are contentious.
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Administration’s ShareThe percentage of annual school spending that pays for administration at the district and school levels.
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A Do-Gooder Holding Harmful BeliefsOur panel analyzes whether it matters if a dedicated school volunteer quietly holds racist ideas.
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When Searching Students at School, It’s Still 1985Is it permissible to use a drug-sniffing dog to do a sweep of the entire student body after reports of possession on campus?
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Do You Have an Exit Strategy?The importance of establishing a road map for the next superintendent.
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Using Social Media Tools in Crisis AftermathA Kansas school district learned some things about communication after a tornado devastated the community.
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Recruiting Immigrants to Sustain Teacher SupplyOverseas work experience and credentials are undervalued when it comes to the teaching profession. Could a modified view address staffing shortages?
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Never Underestimate the Power of the Popsicle
How the author, a superintendent, created a favorable impression on families by delivering the unexpected.
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Embracing Tension and Critical DiscourseEvaluating professional and personal stressors to model leadership behaviors.
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Exceptional Challenges Require Our Collective LeadershipConnecting with like-minded professionals through AASA’s myriad opportunities for growth.
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Bolstering Programming and Cohorts with Ann LevettThe Leadership Network’s recent addition of a former Georgia superintendent expands capacity of the training academies and cohorts.
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Sidelight: Josh EhnA superintendent doubles on the playing field.
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A Toledo Native Who Exhibits PrideBringing pride and professional know-how to his schools as a Toledo native.
Staff
Editor's Note
Tensions That Spark Creativity
When I was starting my career in journalism almost 50 years ago, the career destination for many budding reporters was The Washington Post, where the legendary editor Ben Bradlee maintained a newsroom culture of creative tension for his writers and editors. A few years later, Peter Senge gave the concept greater visibility as an organizational catalyst for facilitating creativity and change.
We explore the application of the concept in this month’s issue through a contribution from Wendy Smith, co-author of Both/And Thinking: Embracing Creative Tensions to Solve Your Toughest Problems. She writes for us about how she has worked with educators in Australia to make it a positive force in schooling.
Creative tension is a loose thread running through several other offerings, including Allan Mucerino’s “Caught in the Crosshairs” and a piece by superintendents John Malloy and Colleen Russell-Rawlins about leading reforms of student discipline amidst polarization.
Even our cover story plays off the dimension of creative tension. It details Maria Libby’s account of gaining approval from her school board in Camden, Maine, for a recent six-month sabbatical that enabled her to recharge and renew. As our coverage indicates, she’s not the only superintendent coming out of the pandemic to seek better work/life balance through sabbaticals before returning to their posts.
We’d love to hear your thoughts about this coverage and how it relates to your own work circumstances. Please comment on social media and directly to me.
Jay P. Goldman
Editor, School Administrator
703-875-0745
jgoldman@aasa.org
@JPGoldman
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