Superintendents’ Perceptions of the Assistance Provided by Their Predecessors During A Change in Leadership

This study involving superintendents from four states sought to identify the nature and quality of help provided by outgoing superintendents to their successors, and to capture data regarding differences in the helpfulness of that support, depending on whether the superintendent moved to a new superintendency, retired from the position, or was nonrenewed or terminated.

The findings indicate that one third of successor superintendents have a strongly favorable view of the helpfulness of their predecessor. Internally-promoted successor superintendents viewed the helpfulness of their successor significantly more favorably than successor superintendents employed from outside the district. Fellow superintendents, administrative assistants, and district administrators were viewed as a much greater source of support than predecessor superintendents.