July 2026: School Administrator

Applying Religious Faith Across the Spectrum Jay P. Goldman

Personal accounts from four superintendents about how their relationship to religion informs their leadership thinking and actions in public school communities.

School Choice for Leaders

Our panel disagrees over a superintendent’s decision to send her children to schools in a neighboring district.

What You’d Like to Tell Your Board But Can’t Courtney Orzel

A veteran school system leader speaks candidly about the messages every superintendent wants board members to hear.

Negotiating Your Second Contract Chad Watkins

An attorney’s take on the distinctive challenge of a superintendent’s first contract renewal, offering a few practical measures.

Overlapping Superintendencies Sarah Lindenfeld Hall

Six school districts’ case studies of incoming and outgoing superintendents demonstrating how to jointly ensure a seamless leadership transition at the top.

A New Superintendent’s Guide to Self-Doubt Elizabeth Dampf

Leaning into uncertainties with resilience and mentorship, not fluffy affirmations, to take on feelings of impostor syndrome.

Communicating Bad News During Hard Financial Times Ryan Noss Krista Parent

Building trust with the school community through transparency and open channels.

School Consolidations at Ground Level Jonathan W. Cooney

Five principals share the unexpected emotional impact of merging two schools.

Numbers with Heart: How to Tell a Better School Finance Story Mellissa J. Braham

Engaging your school district community before a budget vote takes bringing out the humanity in the numbers.

Enacting Democratic Processes at the District Level Derek Gottlieb Jack Schneider

Reframing public education’s narrative will mean establishing what the authors call “ongoing institutional openness” to capture the heart of the community. The lead author operates an independent survey research firm specializing on education and his writing partner is co-author of The Education Wars: A Citizen’s Guide and Defense Manual.

Moving from Platitudes to a Promise Catherine Carbone Rogers Susan Enfield

How community collaboration shaped a school district’s strategic roadmap to capture families’ aspirations and the minds and hearts of students. The two authors formerly served in the central administration of the Highline Public Schools in Burien, Wash.

Building Community Through Tough Times Gustavo Balderas

Collaboration and communication as key facets of financial and operational efficiency.

Sex Offenders on School Grounds V. Wayne Young

With few states addressing this issue when related to parents, local school officials are left to develop sound policy and exercise discretion.

Politically Delicate Navigation

Should a superintendent in a Red state sign onto a lawsuit waged by a prominent national advocacy group? Our ethics panel weighs in.

Tough Conversations Call for Transparency David R. Schuler, Ph.D.

Educators should use clear language when explaining revenue shortalls.

My Three Rules for My Transparent Use and Trust Anna Nolin

A superintendent’s ground rules for her personal involvement on social media.

Lessons About Parent Engagement with Our Chatbot Trent Bowers

Four AI-driven strategies for improving families’ use of the school district’s website.

Changing the Narrative David Law

Integrating community activities and engaging on social media helped the AASA president reframe his district.

Resisting Our Temptation to Ban All Phones Marc Bertrando

Extreme measures don’t prepare students for a rapidly changing world of technology, argues this Pennsylvania superintendent.

Finding Patterns, Money Savings and Focus Lance Gibbon

Using ChatGPT to collect and analyze data efficiently, in this debut of a monthly column on leadership uses for artificial intelligence.

Managing Social Media Accounts As Both Private Citizens and Public Officials Allison Marley

An education attorney sorts out the distinctions between superintendents speaking for themselves or in their official leadership roles.

High School Literacy: It’s Not Too Late Jessica Graves Dan Chappuis

How a rural Georgia district serves its secondary schoolers needing systemic reading support.

The Charge to Expanded Tutoring Liz Cohen

How two school districts used customized tutoring for students with the greatest learning needs.

Where Academic Knowledge and Applied Learning Work Together Lazaro Lopez

Learning redesign in a suburban district makes career readiness central to everyone’s academic and personal growth in high school.

The Breakthrough Years for Executive Functioning Ellen Galinsky

Using brain science to position Real Skills for Real Life at the center of public education.

Breaking the Silence

Our ethics panel analyzes whether a high school’s social studies department should stage open classroom discussions on authoritarianism and democracy.

Financial Literacy as Course Requirement Amy Rock Dionne Lyles

How a Maryland district turned an unfunded mandate into multi-grade instruction on lifelong skills.

Cultivating Safe and Supportive Schools for Mental Wellness Roderick Sams

Perceptions of safety impact staff and student health.

Bringing Joy Back to Educators’ Workplaces Avis Williams

Cultivating a positive schoolhouse and office culture begins with leaders who model the behaviors they wish to see in others.

Going Offensive Against Racial Stereotypes

A typically caring white colleague occasionally makes racially insensitive comments to a Black central-office administrator. The latter has shared her feelings, but the comments continued. How should she proceed?

Celebrating a District’s Legacy Staff Ward H. Andrus

Creating pride among staff members who once walked the same halls as students.

When Disability Meets Discipline Parker Howell

How nondiscrimination employment laws come into play in a case of performance evaluation gone wrong.

Everything I Needed to Know About the Superintendency I Learned From Alanis Morissette Lisa Leali

The pop singer’s lyrics still register for the author and her work life almost 30 years later.

Why Every School Leader Should Teach Again Shelly Wilfong

Two weeks running a 6th-grade classroom recently fueled important insights for an assistant superintendent.