Changes in Effectiveness: State of the Superintendency

State of the Superintendency

AASA’s 2025 mid-decade survey update on the state of the superintendency asked 1,100 survey respondents what issues most frequently prevent the superintendent from fulfilling core work. A quarter-century earlier an AASA study asked about leading factors inhibiting the superintendent’s effectiveness. The top four factors 25 years apart appear above and below.

2025 Top Four Factors:

53.2%: State Bureaucracy/Mandates
40.2%: Federal Bureaucracy/Mandates
39.9% Excessive Time Requirements
34.7% Social Media Issues

2000 Top Four Factors:

44.2%: Inadequate Financing
37.3%: Too Many Insignificant Demands
25.9%: State Reform Mandates
20.6% Board Micromanagement

Sources: "The 2025 American Superintendent Study Mid-Decade Update” and the “2000 Study of the American School Superintendency"