Fastest-Rising Challenge

State of the Superintendency

Improving the academic performance of underprepared students took on much greater importance as perceived by superintendents, more than any other challenge over a five-year period ending in 2018.

National surveys of superintendents conducted by Gallup identified a 13-point increase in the percentage of superintendents who share that view. The problem seems especially acute for those in city or large districts. Two-thirds of city superintendents and large-district superintendents, compared with 48 percent to 59 percent of superintendents in other types of districts, strongly agree that the No. 1 challenge is improving underprepared students’ performance.