Your Board’s Expectations: Visible and Communicative

Board-Savvy Superintendent

In real estate, the bottom line is location, location, location. In the superintendency, the bottom line could best be defined as communication, communication, communication.

Of course, any possible analogy between real estate and the superintendency quickly ends as a prospective buyer focuses on a specific, fixed location and final price. The superintendent, by contrast, must communicate, and do it effectively, with an array of critical audiences, notably the board of education.

We’ve learned a few things about communication in our research at Edgewood College, based on recent dissertations of Ed.D. students and interviews with practicing superintendents nationally:

• Superintendents rate their own communication prowess as very high.
• Members of stakeholder groups dealing with superintendents view the latter’s communication skills and actions less charitably, a finding that surfaces across age, gender and experience level. School board members and central-office administrators rate superintendents lower in communication than the superintendents rate themselves.
• In terms of loyalty, central-office staff sometimes play both sides and, in a few cases, they have communicated negatively with school board members regarding a superintendent’s performance, leading to the superintendent prematurely leaving the district.
• Boards enter a search process focusing on higher-order attributes and traits desired in a new superintendent — instructional leadership, academic achievement, collaborative goal setting, board alignment with district goals and resource allocation. Yet when the hiring is completed, board members cite communication skills as the prime reason for the selection. (Yet again, our adaptation of location, location, location.)

Public Stances

Two years ago, while in another part of the country, I read a newspaper account of a school board’s evaluation of the superintendent. The board was quite happy with the superintendent and gave him high marks for professionalism, integrity and related characteristics. However, the superintendent was rated much lower on communication and visibility. 

When I was a first-year superintendent, a wise and helpful board member shared what the school board meant by visibility. The board defined visibility not by how many student productions, athletic contests and community events I attended. Rather, he said, visibility meant the superintendent, as a public leader, would take a stand on important issues and promote what is right for students and communicate this publicly. This counsel served me and the district well.

My work on this subject lends itself to some advice.

First, with board participation, develop mutually agreed-upon definitions of communication and visibility. Boards and superintendents may have differing expectations and preferred styles.

Second, monitor communication and visibility ratings on a regular basis and check for efficacy. A check-in with board members every two to three months on both areas is warranted, so that superintendents can address concerns quickly.

Third, voice your concerns with the definitions and performance ratings. Superintendents ought to be clear in their own interpretations and describe what they believe is working well and where improvements are needed.

Fourth, superintendents must seek reliable feedback from individuals whom they know will give honest and constructive guidance.

Keen Predictors

Communication and visibility are both simple and complex. Unlike the Realtor’s slogan of location, location, location, communication and visibility require precise definitions when connecting with a range of audiences with their various needs. Indeed, communication and visibility may be a superintendent’s keenest challenge and greatest predictors of success.

Thomas Evert, a retired superintendent in Janesville, Wis., is a co-author with Bette Lang and Amy Van Deuren of Working Toward Success: Board and Superintendent Interactions, Relationships and Hiring Issues.