Practical Research into Organizational Behavior and Effectiveness (PROBE) surveyed public school district superintendents in 1979 to compare their views on education to the lay opinions expressed in the annual Gallup Poll of the public's attitudes toward public schools. The study utilized a one-page questionnaire and focused on time management, job priorities, and stress in selected administrative tasks. The two sample groups consisted of 2,004 randomly selected superintendents, stratified into five categories, and the superintendents of the nation's 200 most populous school districts. The results of the survey indicate that superintendents feel their relationship to their school boards is the most important criterion in evaluating their job performance and handling of student affairs the least important. The study revealed differences in priorities between superintendents in small and large districts. It also evinced a large discrepancy between educators' views of the problems confronting public schools and the public's views. As a consequence, it is recommended that superintendents give greater attention to the development of their managerial and political skills, to increased contact with students, and to their own administrative training program. (Author/WD)