Study of the Superintendency and District Governance >> About US
PURPOSE
The main purpose of the UCEA Joint Program Center for the Study of the Superintendency and District Governance is to bring together a collaborative group of researchers in the area of the superintendency and school board governance and provide a Center for the administration of a nationally funded joint-research agenda. The Center endeavors to use technology to provide accessibility and broad dissemination of research not only to an academic audience, but practical applications and guidance for district-level leaders in the field. The Center also endeavors to provide a central organization for national associations to use to improve linkages and mutually beneficial collaborations between academic and practitioner worlds.
The UCEA Center is housed in the Department of Leadership, Policy and Adult and Higher Education at North Carolina State University.
NEED for SUPERINTENDENCY RESEARCH CENTER
Education reform reports released over the past two decades present compelling evidence for the ways schools are governed. A series of national commission reports on educational administration released during the mid 2000 and further, (Alsbury, 2008; IES, 2000; Levine, 2005; NCLB, 2002; Wallace Foundation, 2006) acknowledged that school governance structures and processes can and do have profound implications for veteran and aspiring administrators. While these changes clarified the symbiotic relationship among school reform, administrator roles, professional preparation, school board member roles and responsibilities, and state and alternative licensure, shifted emphasis of schools to one of learning to one of accountability and funding (Mountford, 2002).
Scholarly examinations of a wide spectrum of issues relating to school governances such as the roles, both overlapping and distinct, of school superintendents and school board members, gender and race equity in these positions, superintendent and board member turnover, the behaviors of board chairs, and the characteristics of superintendents in a heavily accountability driven era has led many scholars to reexamine the preparation practices of both governance bodies and to re-evaluate how their decision-making practices, whether mandated by state and/or federal laws, or locally driven, are impacting the quality of leadership in school systems (Petersen & Young, 2004). Contrary to the perception that school board members were largely responsible for protecting the status quo and resistant to innovative change efforts, researchers (Alsbury, 2008; Chapman, 1997; Glass, 1992; Mountford, 2001, 2004; Petersen & Short, 2001; Petersen & Williams, 2005) found that both actors in school reform are pivotal in bringing about change leading to a positive difference for all children.
Recent scholarly work suggests superintendents are central to the success of launching and sustaining educational innovation particularly those who maintain high levels of involvement in instructional programs (Björk, 1993; Bredeson, 1996; Carter and Cunningham, 1997; Jackson, 1995; Johnson, 1996; Kowalski, 1995; Leithwood, 1995; Murphy, 1995; Tallerico & Burstyn, 1996; Yee & Cuban, 1996), especially those who practice collaborative decision-making because of their unique beliefs about power (Brunner, 2002). Further, much of the same patterns of governance behaviors can be found among school board members (Mountford & Brunner, 2001). Yet even with the recent attention to school governance structures such as, but not limited to; the superintendency and school boards, there is very little in the literature that informs or supports specific ways school governance structures and associated preparations programs are changing to meet new demands (Crowson, 1988).
Although recent efforts of individual scholars have increased attention to issues related to school governance structures, commonly with a focus on the superinedendency and school boards; acquiring a deeper understanding of the impact of changes in assumptions, deep structures, and contexts on the landscape of superintendents' and school board members’ work and roles may be greatly enhanced by establishing a Joint Center on district-level leaders and school governance structures. Further, even beyond the aforementioned foci, the future and pending challenges related to the necessary transformation of schooling and specifically of district leadership roles and behaviors are of great concern to all stakeholders and should become central to future research.
The challenge of formulating promising lines of research is as important as addressing how findings may improve public education policy, practice, professional preparation, and ultimately the quality of education for children. Despite recent recognition of the critical importance of superintendents and school boards in transforming American schooling, developing collaborative structures for convening and communicating with a representative range of stakeholders to assist in achieving these worthy goals has been conspicuously minimal while the elimination of central office leadership has given way to increasing mayoral and city council takeovers (Wong & Shen, 2008).
PROPOSED ACTIVITIES
Identifying Promising Lines of Inquiry
Although both the UCEA and AERA initiatives promise to help identify problems and opportunities facing superintendents, several major areas for inquiry and action have been ascertained including: the rural superintendency; the urban superintendency; superintendent-school board relations; elected versus appointed boards; district leadership turnover; democracy and school governance; superintendent evaluation; issues of voice and equity: women, people of color, and marginalized categories in school governance structures such as, but not limited to; the superintendency and school boards; licensure (ISLLC); professional preparation as a shared responsibility; implications of the devolution of decision making on the superintendents' role; emerging forms of leadership; professional development of superintendents and boards of education, superintendency and school boards and issues of power; and strategies for interacting with community consensus groups. A significant area of research begins with the Joint Center conducting the American Association of School Administrator's (AASA) ten-year study on school governance and a national study of all school board members.
Forming Research Groups
One of the primary purposes of the UCEA Joint Program Center for the Study of the Superintendency and District Governance is to serve as a convener and support other UCEA institutions in convening research groups. This strategy will facilitate convening groups of researchers and practitioners in a timely manner to identify promising lines of future research, develop research strategies, identify funding resources, and convene proposal writing teams to secure external funding. Research studies conceived with the support and assistance of the Joint Center may be conducted by individuals, collaborative teams from one or more participating institutions, professional associations, or the Joint Center as appropriate. These activities will be consistent with the work envisioned under this proposal.
Creating Sub-Committees of the Advisory Panel to Study Vexing Problems in School Governance
Identifying critical issues associated with school governance structures such as, but not limited to; the superintendency and school boards will facilitate efforts of the Joint Center to establish a number of task forces focused on improving practice, professional preparation, and policy. A number of areas have been identified which may be considered by the Advisory Board. First, a Model for a Superintendents' Assessment Program may be developed in collaboration with professional associations, researchers, and licensure groups that could be used by states using ISLLC standards. Second, a National superintendents' professional preparation program model that incorporates innovative strategies and addresses the deficiencies of many university-based programs may be designed. Third, school-board and superintendent relations may be examined. Fourth, a School Board Training and Assessment Program may be developed in collaboration with national and state school board associations. Lastly, superintendent performance evaluation strategies that may be used by local school boards may be developed. Although these recommendations for Joint Center Task Forces have been developed from preliminary discussions with researchers and superintendents, additional information and input from other groups will be required before final decisions are made.
CENTER OPERATIONS
The purpose of the UCEA Joint Program Center for the Study of the Superintendency and District Governance is to bring together a collaborative group of researchers in the area of the superintendency and school board governance and provide a Center for the administration of a nationally funded joint-research agenda. The Center endeavors to use technology to provide accessibility and broad dissemination of research not only to an academic audience, but practical applications and guidance for district-level leaders in the field. The Center also endeavors to provide a central organization for national associations to use to improve linkages and mutually beneficial collaborations between academic and practitioner worlds.
Thomas Alsbury of North Carolina State University (NCSU) and Meredith Mountford of Florida Atlantic University (FAU) together Co-direct the UCEA Joint Program Center for the Study of the Superintendency and District Governance.