The School Administrator

June 2007 Number 6, Vol. 64Personal EvaluationFinding better ways to assess the superintendent's performance

Features

Changing the Subject of Your Evaluation
by Patricia Anne Banks and Richard J. Maloney
The authors are the superintendent and board president of a school district that has transformed the superintendent assessment process from focusing principally on the individual to examining the performance of the district as a whole.
Similar Reading: A Superintendent’s Online Evaluation Tool and Larry Weber: Evaluate Me on Measures, Not Tales and Resources
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Revisiting Superintendent Evaluation
by Michael F. DiPaola
The author of the Superintendent Evaluation Handbook builds his case for school board members and superintendents to consider the latter’s annual job performance a continuous process rather than a one-time event in executive session.
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Superintendent Evaluation: What AASA’s Study Discovered
by Thomas E. Glass
The just-completed AASA study of “The State of the American School Superintendency” documents a modest decline in the number of “excellent” ratings by boards, but most superintendents view their own assessment experiences favorably.
Similar Reading: New AASA Superintendency Study Covers the Waterfront and Board Evaluation: A Rare Occurrence
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The Case of the Messy Desk
by Mary Jo McGrath
An education attorney, seeing too many superintendent-board relationships fray at the core, details her system of continuous, constructive feedback as a better way to evaluate the job performance of the CEO.
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The Administrative Power Grab
by Richard D. Sorenson
Using a muscle-building analogy, the author considers how a school leader, much like a body builder, can positively use gym workout concepts, such as continuous tension and holistic training, to create a learning environment that empowers all participants.
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Profile

‘A Glutton for a Good Challenge’ by Paul Riede

Soft-spoken Larry Nyland describes himself as “a glutton for a good challenge,” and he received it upon arrival as superintendent in Marysville, Wash.

Departments

Punchback: Answering Critics

Money Mutterers by Kevin G. Welner

Some well-financed think tanks promote the notion that, for public schooling at least, money doesn’t make a difference in student outcomes. It does seem to matter to those who are trying to convince everyone outside of schools that money doesn’t matter.read more

Guest Columns

Mired in Mud? ‘Unstuck’ Might Be the Answer by Theodore S. Blaesing

“I’m stuck. My school district is stuck. Our school board is stuck.” A superintendent in Minnesota turns to a new book for some answers on getting out of the muck.read more

Why Rotary Commits to Service Learning by J.R. Labbe

The Rotary Club of Fort Worth, according to its president, focuses primarily on putting money and muscle behind projects that benefit the community’s young people, leading to recognition as winner of the 2007 AASA Civic Star Award.read more

Realigning the Orbits of Central Office and Schools by Eliot W. Larson

Building principals travel to the central office for a monthly meeting where district administrators have created an agenda filled with informational items that take too long to cover. Why are these individuals operating on different planets?read more

People

People

Lots of retirements and new promotions in the superintendent ranks mark the end of the academic year.read more

Board-Savvy Superintendent

A Good Contract Only Starts With the Signing by Marcy Dutton

Keeping a good employment contract as superintendent comes down to some basic competencies — dealing with how you talk to your board members, complete your homework and have your paperwork in order.read more

President's Corner

Success Masquerading as Effectiveness by Eugene G. White

In his final column, AASA’s elected leader says the key to moving a system from “good” to “great” is the effectiveness of how you evaluate those most responsible for educating children.read more

Executive Perspective

Loosening Our Beltway by Paul D. Houston

“I live and work in a town that is untethered from reality,” opines AASA’s executive director.read more

Systems Thinking

Moving as One in the Same Direction by Mark Keen

Student achievement can increase significantly only if all systems within the organization are aligned to the same end and monitored by what John Kotter would call “a guiding coalition,” says the superintendent in Westfield, Ind.read more

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