Role conflict between school board members and superintendents appears to exist in some Indiana school corporations. The purpose of the study was to investigate and report role perceptions of school board member duties and obligations as seen by board members and superintendents. A further purpose of the study was to identify task-related areas of disagreement regarding role responsibilities generally perceived by each respective response group.A questionnaire was designed to solicit responses from school board members and superintendents regarding perceived initial board member involvement with twenty-one educational tasks. Each task was arranged into a five step horizontal continuum, ranging from executive duties to legislative duties. Respondents were selected from a random sampling of Indiana school corporations which had been stratified according to student enrollment into three equal groups.Major findings derived from the analysis of data were:1. School board members and superintendents demonstrated significant differences in perceptions regarding board member initial involvement with respect to ten of the twenty-one educational tasks.2. In ten of the remaining eleven tasks, board members and superintendents demonstrated intragroup disagreement.3. School board members and superintendents of different sized school corporations demonstrated intergroup disagreements.Major conclusions based on findings of the study were:1. School board members fail to differentiate between the policy-making role of the school board and the administrative role of the superintendent.2. School board members and superintendents are not consistent with respect to perceptions of initial board member involvement.3. School board members and superintendents in different sized school corporations disagree concerning perceptions of initial board member assumption of responsibilities.Major recommendations based upon the findings and conclusions of the study were:1. School board members and superintendents need to cooperatively plan orientation andtraining sessions in order to understand the processes of policy planning, policy development, and policy evaluation.2. Research should be conducted to determine the effects of written policies and procedures upon the role perceptions of superintendents and board members regarding the duties and obligations of board members.3. The study should be replicated with an enlarged sample to further validate the findings that were influenced by size of school corporation.

Thesis (E.Ed.)--The Sage Colleges, 2009. / "A Doctoral Research Project presented to Associate Professor Daniel Alemu, Doctoral Research Committee Chair, School of Education, Sage Graduate School." Suggested keywords: superintendent shortage; job satisfaction; leadership capacity; pathways to leadership; knowledge of superintendency; mentoring. Includes bibliographical references: (p. 67-71).

Thesis (E. Ed.) -- The Sage Colleges, 2009. / "A Doctoral Research Project presented to Associate Professor Ann Myers, Doctoral Research Committee Chair, School of Education, The Sage Colleges." Suggested keywords: succession; succession planning; superintendent succession; leadership succession; superintendent turnover; passive absorption; transition planning; internal candidate; external candidate; superintendent search; vertical preparation; horizontal preparation. Includes bibliographical references: (p. 84-88).

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This thesis focuses on three groups of people: Virginia superintendents, leaders of Virginia Normal and Industrial Institute and Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute, and teachers of Virginia public schools. On their own terms, each of these groups represents a different facet of state level policies of standardization and segregation. The annual and biennial reports published by the office of the Virginia superintendent of public instruction during the early twentieth century constitute the basis of analysis for this thesis. The first chapter of this thesis analyzes introductory letters from the superintendent of public instruction. Within these letters, the superintendent wrote often about public school facility renovations and improvements. The second chapter uncovers how leaders of black institutions of higher education represented their institutions to the superintendent by documenting the success of their graduates and the disciplinary atmosphere of their campuses. Chapter three explores standardization and professionalization measures that the superintendents recommended for Virginia teachers. This thesis adds to our understanding of education in the early twentieth century by looking at every day, bureaucratic decisions in relation to concepts of standardization and race in Virginia. In all, this thesis uncovers three standards of education that developed during the early twentieth century. Putting these three chapters together reveals a complex story about standardization and segregation, a story that, I argue, uncovers how race and power were embedded within everyday decisions and actions at the state level. / Master of Arts / During the early twentieth century, leaders of Virginia public education grappled with concepts of standardization and segregation. Through a close reading of annual and biennial reports published by the office of the Virginia Superintendent of Public Instruction, this research explores how decisions about public education were embedded in race and power. The first chapter of this thesis analyzes introductory letters from the superintendent of public instruction. Within these letters, the superintendent wrote often about public school facility renovations and improvements. The second chapter uncovers how leaders of black institutions of higher education represented their institutions to the superintendent by documenting the success of their graduates and the disciplinary atmosphere of their campuses. Chapter three explores standardization and professionalization measures that the superintendents recommended for Virginia teachers. This thesis adds to our understanding of education in the early twentieth century by looking at every day, bureaucratic decisions in relation to concepts of standardization and race in Virginia. In all, this thesis uncovers three standards of education that developed during the early twentieth century. Putting these three chapters together reveals a complex story about standardization and segregation, a story that, I argue, uncovers how race and power were embedded within everyday decisions and actions at the state level.

This study was conducted to determine how much time would be saved in the homebuilding cycle when field superintendents received training. The study took place during the 2007 calendar year with a production homebuilder in southern Nevada. New technologies and techniques were introduced during weekly training meetings that were held at both the corporate office and construction job sites. A scheduling tool was introduced along with new procedures and policies. The superintendents were required to report daily on the tasks that had been completed. This gave the superintendent and upper management the ability to follow the home throughout the building process and track the results. Additionally, new policies were created to improve build quality and increase customer satisfaction. This study compared over 300 homes built in 2006 (untrained superintendents) versus nearly 300 homes built in 2007 (trained superintendents). A substantial reduction in cycle time was found when compared to the homes built before the training period, with some projects reducing their average cycle time by over 140 days. Superintendent satisfaction in regards to the training was found to be above average. Through the reduction in cycle time, the company reduced their daily interest costs by nearly 3 million dollars.

Because the public school budgeting process is arguably the single most important process in a school district, the budgeting process is a leadership challenge for the Superintendent. This leadership challenge is even more pronounced in fiscally dependent school districts where the school board does not have the authority to tax and must obtain funding from the local governing board. In fiscally dependent school districts, superintendents must develop and guide the school district budget through two different boards with different responsibilities and interests: a school board focusing on the educational vision of the school district and a local governing board focusing on overall community needs and tax rates. The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of fiscal dependence on superintendent leadership during the budget process. This multi-case study utilized Stake's (2006) multi-case analysis methods to determine findings from four cases selected using a stratified, purposeful sampling of school districts in Virginia, a fiscally dependent state. The analysis resulted in eleven findings: 1) Superintendents guide school district budgets through the local government approval process. 2) The fiscally dependent method of school district funding in Virginia has a direct impact on the development of the school district budget. 3) The importance of education in a community influences the budget development process. 4) Personalities and relationships can be more important than budget processes and documents. 5) Limited local revenue has an impact on the budget development process. 6) An appointed school board increases the importance of the local governing board and influences the budget approval process. 7) The depth to which local government leaders look at the budget details influences the district budget development process. 8) Superintendents ensure frequent and ongoing dialogue with local government leaders. 9) Superintendents maintain good relationships with the local government leaders. 10) Superintendents have a good budget process and budget document. 11) Superintendents involve and engage the larger school community. This study has implications for superintendents that work in states with fiscally dependent school districts. / Ph. D.

This dissertation explores public school superintendent self-efficacy influences on instructional and student achievement within three Texas public school districts. The purpose of this research study is to investigate superintendent self-efficacy and it’s perceived influence on instructional leadership in districts with persistent student achievement inequities for economically disadvantaged and students of color. This study specifically focused on three White male public school superintendents with varying numbers of student populations that have large percentages of economically disadvantaged students and students of color. Two research questions guided the inquiry process: 1. How do superintendents in school districts in which children of color and children from low-income homes persistently under-perform perceive their effectiveness in the area of instructional leadership? 2.What are superintendents’ perceptions about how their instructional leadership beliefs are influenced by the context of federal and state accountability in which they work? This study employed a qualitative method of investigation utilizing a case-study approach to examine the perceptions, beliefs, and views of participating superintendents. Two in-depth interviews with each school superintendent served as primary data collection sources, while field notes, personal observations, email, and phone conversations served as secondary and clarifying sources. Data were interpreted using a critical interpretivist lens. This inquiry contributes to the body of superintendent practice and limited research scholarship by assisting in the understanding of perceived superintendent self-efficacy influences on instructional leadership and student achievement. These understandings have additional implications for the intersection of power, privilege, and emancipatory critical constructs for superintendents with populations of economically disadvantaged students and students of color. Findings from this study serve to highlight needed calls to action and reforms in superintendent preparatory programs, research scholarship, professional organizations, and regional educational service centers.

The public school superintendent has been studied since the early 1800s. Throughout history, the role of the superintendent has evolved into an increasingly challenging role. Between 1860 and 1960, school boards categorically selected superintendents who met a predetermined set of characteristics. White middle-aged males dominated the field. During the 1960s and 1970s, superintendents sought advanced degrees and preparation programs. Mentorships became integral components of the preparation programs that were designed to prepare prospective superintendents to meet the increasing demands of the job. During recent history, superintendents have been plagued by a multitude of academic, societal, and political challenges that are threatening the position of the school superintendent. Increased turnover rate and a declining interest in the field, compounded with the issues of financial management, staff recruitment, instructional leadership, communication, school governance, and strategic planning, are affecting the organizational stability of school districts. Upon entry, the superintendent must balance decision-making responsibilities with leadership strategies regarding the multidimensional functions of the school district. The literature is rich with studies regarding these compounded challenges within the organization of the school district, and research demonstrates that superintendent longevity is linked to organizational sustainability. However, the research literature lacks qualitative research studies focusing on superintendent entry plans, associated superintendent sustainability, and organizational stability. / text