The three papers in this collection describe the process of socialization that results in the attainment of the school superintendency. These articles deal with the vice-principalship as a stepping stone to higher office and with the lack of success that minority group members and women experience in educational administration advancement. The editor concludes that the attainment of the superintendency position is dependent on a specific career pattern, that the upward mobility process is complex and highly selective, that advancement is dependent on preliminary positions held as well as on the length of time each position is held, that failure to observe the process results in the exclusion of certain groups such as minorities and women, and that career patterns may be systematically established by the excluded groups that are different from others. (Author)