According to a recent survey of Nebraska school board presidents, superintendencies most often fail because of poor people skills, failure to communicate, questionable ethics, and skirmishes over staffing. Fully 28 out of 75 incidents cited concerned problems with superintendents who were intimidating, reluctant to share information, publicly…

Shared governance by instructors, college presidents, and boards of trustees result in empowerment, improved morale, communication, and diversity. As the situation at Fullerton Community College (California) shows, however, it can also diminish efficiency, slow decision making, and hamper effective management. (JOW)

An anonymous school board member offers tongue-in-cheek advice to prospective school board members--starting out with the fact that, no matter how impressive board members' resumes are, their backgrounds will not fully prepare them to serve on school boards. (MLF)

School board presidents today operate in an era of consensual leadership and must play many roles. A former school board chairman developed a three-part conceptual framework. Thirteen practices are listed for board presidents. A sidebar summarizes findings from a study of 45 superintendents about the role of the school board chairman. (MLF)

After the first year, new superintendents should take care to avoid the "sophomore jinx" by communicating effectively with the board president every week and with board members before meetings. Public engagement is also an integral part of a superintendent's job. (MLF)

Survey responses from 175 public school superintendents blamed school boards for the dwindling supply of qualified applicants for the superintendency. The top problem is micromanagement by the school board. The time and stress of the superintendency ranks second, cited by more than 53 percent of respondents. Diminishing financial resources were…

When the Clark County, Nevada, school board pledged to avoid micromanaging the district and focus on the big picture of improving student achievement, the move was a radical shift. For board members accustomed to dealing with what one described as "convoluted" policies that filled several 6-inch-thick books, the streamlined approach to…

This book presents the largest and most comprehensive look at the men and women leading the nation's public schools. This profile of the school superintendency offers a close examination of: (1) superintendents' personal characteristics, professional experience, and professional preparation and training; (2) superintendent/school board relations;…

An interim president often plays a crucial role in leading a college or university. In some instances, the interim can address and resolve troublesome issues and thus clear the way for the new president to generate progress. In others, the interim stays the course so that the institution maintains its momentum and seizes strategic opportunities to…

The superintendent search consultant plays a major role in ensuring a close fit between leading candidates for a superintendency and the underlying views of governing board members on various matters, including religion and church/state issues. Search consultants try to keep school boards upfront about their desired values when seeking a new…

This booklet offers trustees of institutions of higher education a guide to the ethical principles upon which the institution should base its decisions. An introductory section offers actual examples of unethical decisions by single officials for which the institution was responsible. The following sections each explain a principle and offer…

This booklet for trustees of institutions of higher education provides guidelines for conducting a presidential search. The booklet notes that the presidential search can offer the institution an opportunity to take stock of its recent history and future prospects and draw a campus together. Among guidelines offered for planning the search are:…

Superintendent turnover in California's more than 1,000 school districts is at crisis proportions, averaging 16.18 percent per year over the past 6 years. Those who once aspired to the superintendency are opting for the security of a teaching or midlevel administrative position. These facts were confirmed by analyzing a database comprising the…

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…

These four issues of "ACCT Trustee Quarterly" contain articles on topics of current concern to community college trustees. Articles in the Winter 1986-87 issue focus on current economic challenges, personal liability, filling trustee vacancies on community college boards, cooperative ventures, foundation-building, a "quality first" program, the…