If superintendent-school board relationships are to be successful, the persons involved must be cognizant, confident, communicative, and compatible. (Author/IRT)

The relationship between the superintendent and board of education has a significant impact on the quality of a district's educational program. This conceptual paper explores the implications of three distinct trends for that relationship: (1) changing demographics; (2) changes brought about by school reform; and (3) changes in superintendents…

The purpose of this study was to examine contributing factors influencing superintendent tenure among Texas public school superintendents. The results of the Cox Regression analysis revealed that strained relationships with the school board president, not being able to get decisions made at the Board level, and superintendent/school board…

The supervisor of today does not shrink from accountability if it is defined and understood by all. It is only when he is left unprotected and unsure of his role that a supervisor encounters problems. Therefore, a negotiated agreement does not represent militancy on the part of administrators or a protective device to cover incompetency; it merely…

The superintendent's contract embodies the community's expectations of the school system's chief executive officer. The contract allows the school board and the superintendent to accomplish a number of tasks, including assuring stability in the district's leadership, creating means for resolving conflicts, and establishing procedures for meeting…

The relationship between the board of education of a public school system and the school superintendent is extremely important to the functioning and progress of the system. First-time Ohio superintendents were surveyed at the end of their first and second years about their perceptions of their relationships with their boards of education (N=58).…

When some new superintendents assume a new position, they get along with their boards and staff, learn the ropes, and eventually gain credibility and "own" their precarious perch on the wall. Others, like Humpty Dumpty, crash off the wall, never to regain control of the position. Certain factors account for success: experience; clear understanding…

Attempts to write definitely on public school administrators' rights to continuing employment are risky because states vary so widely in their statutes. There is not much litigation about administrators' rights because in most states administrators are not covered by the same tenure laws that protect teacher employment. Statutory law in some…

The relationship between boards of education and school administrative personnel has been eroding, with some middle management personnel forming their own bargaining groups. It is the author's opinion that universal collective bargaining rights for administrators will prove to be tragic for education. He therefore supports involvement for…

School boards can have relationships to their school systems' central office that feature either democratic, administrative, or political styles of decision-making. The school board members themselves serve as active delegates for community interests, as trustees of educational tradition, or even as passive rubber stamps for the central office's…

Findings of a study that examined the exiting superintendent phenomenon are presented in this paper. Interviews were conducted with five state administrator association executives from California, Massachusetts, Florida, Colorado, and Indiana. Findings indicate that a trend of exiting superintendents does exist; however, the trend varies by state.…

All first-year Ohio superintendents were surveyed regarding their board of education relationships. The administrators were sent a questionnaire asking about the boards' trust and confidence in them, the nature and extent of board/superintendent communications, and the superintendents' job satisfaction. Of 63 questionnaires mailed out, 58 (92.1…

School board members with concerns for success benefit the entire school district. An ambiguity between administration and policy-making necessitates a clarification of the role of the school board. The board should care about the quality of education and the district, recognize the increasing complexity of education, and represent the goals of…

This paper examines the degree of superintendent turnover in Nebraska, a state dominated by rural school districts. It also lists the causes of turnover as reported by short-term superintendents. This study finds that turnover is higher in the subject rural districts than the national average. Superintendents report that they leave these rural…

To maintain a good school system, a school board should expect from its administrators certain attitudes and behaviors: first, administrators should consider the students' interests above all else, support board decisions once made, consider ethical issues, be optimistic, and take pride in their jobs and their school district; second, they should…