What Is a Superintendent of S
It is often said that the most important role of a board of education is to hire its
superintendent. I think that is a somewhat valid claim. Certainly if you value public
education, you must have competent leadership managing the daily operations of
the school district. A good superintendent leads the district’s educational, financial
and administrative performance; facilitates the performance of all personnel; and
responds to and informs stakeholders and policymakers about the performance
and leadership of the district.
Having met many, if not most, Superintendents of Schools here in Tennessee,
I believe we do have some excellent leaders across our state. Probably one of
the most important duties of the superintendent is to make sure district students
are learning and achieving at the highest level possible. A superintendent must
understand effective academic practices and be supportive of the teachers and
administrators in the district. Leadership, vision, and strategic thinking are critical
skills for every superintendent. A successful superintendent is should also be an
effective and excellent communicator. If the only voice a superintendent listens
to is his/her own, or a few members of the school board, public education will
eventually lose community support.
In the last few years, I have seen some horrifying treatment of Superintendents
across the state. I have seen them maligned by anonymous message boards,
attacked in the media, and belittled by their own school board members, often
unfairly. I am reminded of Mark Twain’s quote: “Great minds talk about ideas;
good minds talk about events; small minds talk about people.”
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