This document presents edited interviews with four former superintendents of instruction--Ewald Nyquist of New York, Jack Nix of Georgia, Dolores Colburg of Montana, and John Pittenger of Pennsylvania. Although the states in which these persons held their positions are quite different, there are a number of commonalities in the problems they faced--their relationship with the board of education; political pressures from the governor, the legislature, and special interest groups; relationships with local education agencies and with the federal government; and the pressures of the job. (IRT)