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This commentary explores the governance partnership between the board of education and the superintendent, a relationship that sets the tone for the leadership and administration of the entire school district. Though important during more conventional times, the establishment of strong rapport between board members and the superintendent now warrants particular attention amid the backdrop of increasing turnover of district leadership and a politically charged atmosphere around education policy. Dorothy Rohde-Collins and J. Cameron Anglum identify contemporary trends in the superintendency and public school boards, which inform six strategies district leaders, including new and returning superintendents, might pursue to strengthen their governance teams. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article elaborates on the conceptualization of CITINT, i.e., the intelligence activities conducted by citizens and NGOs. This article is a preliminary attempt to establish foundation and perspectives for future research and to provide for initial conceptualization of CITINT. Moreover, this article elucidates CITINT's implications from legislative perspective within the Finnish context. A semi-systematic, limited literature review incorporating academic literature, governmental outlets, and news was executed to explore the contexts and definitions regarding CITINT. Interviews with a journalist, an active CITINT individual, and a detective superintendent of the Finnish National Bureau of Investigation were conducted to clarify and provide backrest for conceptualization. The key contributions of this article are further elucidation of CITINT as a concept and its implications. Moreover, this article discusses the shift in power relations from centralized issue ownership of intelligence activities toward a more fragmented scene in which individuals and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) have more relevance, possibilities, and weight. Within CITINT, this article points out the differentiation between governmentally facilitated CITINT and the bottom-up CITINT conducted by individuals and NGOs on their own terms and tools. One key contribution of this article is connecting CITINT to societal participation through the CCSCM framework. Although the interviews comprise an empirical component, support contextualization, and provide tangible examples, this article's focus is on the theoretical and conceptual aspects of CITINT. The article concludes with a discussion on the outlook, possibilities, and challenges of CITINT and provokes questions for further discussion on the matter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heuristics are used to compensate for the limitations of human cognitive capacities. However, little is known about how voters decide what cue to use when multiple cues are available. Exploiting the institutional features of elections for the nonpartisan position of superintendent of education in South Korea, we demonstrate that voters may choose an "ecologically rational" heuristic in a given context, taking into account the trade-off between the cognitive costs and the accuracy of inference associated with different cues. Our analysis shows that the three cues—ballot order, partisan color, and ideology —are commonly used in the absence of party labels, and their relative importance varies with the electoral context. In areas with large school-age populations and in races without an incumbent, contexts where the demand for information is conceivably high, the importance of the partisan color cue increases. We further present individual-level evidence suggesting that voters with higher levels of political sophistication and interest rely more on the ideology cue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 1767, the New Towns were founded with the benefit of a new Town Charter. Under the government of the superintendent Pablo de Olavide, the lands of towns and places of royalty, but also of lordship, were expropriated and came under his jurisdiction. In Sierra Morena, an estate belonging to the Marquises of La Rambla, known as La Aliseda, was not expropriated. Our aim in this paper is to highlight the relations between this estate and the (Super)intendancy of Nuevas Poblaciones, analysing the problems of jurisdiction, together with the relations between the Marquises of La Rambla and the neo-populational rulers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SUMMARY: This article offers a review of John Conolly's book of 1847 concerning the construction and administration of asylums for the mentally ill, which gives detailed advice on the selection and management of staff and remarks on the role of the medical superintendent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The role of principal supervisor has been shifting from a focus on management to one that emphasizes support for principals. External partners can sometimes help with redesigning the role and other aspects of district organization. However, most research focuses on large urban districts with role conceptions and organizational structures that are not easily applied to midsized districts. In this study, we leverage contingency theory as a way to consider how contextual difference might matter in the use of principal supervisors to support and develop principals of underperforming schools. We interviewed district superintendents, principal supervisors, and principals in five mid-sized districts partnered with USSP, an in-service educational systems leadership provider with research evidence of impact on student achievement outcomes. We found that mid-sized districts commonly prioritized characteristics and traits regularly associated with good principal supervisors, but they were limited by district size and context in how they could initiate change. Despite some differences in how districts established the principal supervisor role, participants across levels described how principal supervisors were supported and, in turn, supported principals in intensive ways. Study results suggest that reorienting the principal supervisor's role, even in mid-sized districts, can build leadership capacity of principals leading underperforming schools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the research question: How does the nature of interest group influence on school superintendents vary across school district locale/? Utilizing a survey of Wisconsin superintendents, the author tests several hypotheses related to the relationship between school district locale and superintendent perceptions of interest group influence. The results show that Rural/Town superintendents experience more overall interest group pressure, that less formal parent organizations are generally the most dominant interest groups in school districts, and that there are links between interest group pressures and performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The performance of school boards as a governmental body has been a source of often well-deserved critique in both policy and academic outlets. In this article, we explore approaches to school board governance to conceptualize possible approaches to increasing effective governance in service of students—namely effective governance, district operations, and student learning. We explore both alternative structures to replace traditional school boards and the ways in which relationships between actors in the system might offer routes for more effective governance within traditional school boards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines how superintendents and school principals enact national policy reform expectations and what characterises their local organisational arrangements. Furthermore, the paper investigates how superintendents and school principals deal with tensions as entrepreneurs. The study builds on qualitative interview data from two municipalities in Norway. Analytically, the study draws on institutional theory, more specifically, on entrepreneurship, which to a limited degree has been applied in educational and empirical studies. The superintendents and principals interviewed referred to various local arrangements and resources that were partly adapted and changed through reform work to better fit local needs. Such arrangements included intra and interorganisational dependency and cooperation with several actors and organisational resources. Superintendents and principals seemed to partly break away from existing patterns of interaction. The entrepreneurial work entailed dealing with several tensions emerging within and across institutional boundaries in the process of enacting national reform policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study makes use of a data set detailing instances of public school superintendent turnover in Kentucky between 2014 and 2023. A quantitative research design was used to analyze descriptive statistics in the sample of 205 superintendent turnovers occurring during the identified decade. The analysis reveals a disparity between females and males selected to fill superintendent vacancies. The research also demonstrates that superintendent turnover in Appalachian and non-Appalachian school districts is proportionally consistent, as is superintendent turnover among the eight geographically-assigned Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) educational cooperatives. The findings demonstrate that applicants for superintendent positions serving as assistant superintendents or in other central office positions are selected for the superintendency nearly 60% of the time. Suggestions for future research, including assembling and analyzing comparable data sets in other states, are provided. Given the implications of the findings in this study, the assembled data set could also facilitate additional research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pope Francis's dream for a synodal Church has implications for Catholic schools globally, but what exactly are these consequences? This paper explores Francis's vision in the context of Canadian Catholic schools in Alberta, Saskatchewan, and the Northwest Territories (NWT), where these schools are fully-funded by the government and enroll nearly a quarter million students. Ten exploratory interviews with chief superintendents from these schools—which formed the basis of a larger study—were analyzed to understand potential connections to Francis's vision and his four commitments to synodality: focusing on relationships, a culture of encounter, the essentials of the Christian faith, and local decision-making. The pope differentiates synodality from democratic forms of leadership and demands a communal form of listening and discerning God's Spirit. While the superintendents' style of leadership appeared to mirror synodality in many ways, predominant issues remain to be explored: an emphasis on relationships upends the status quo and gives new directions for the schools; encountering others will inevitably demand prophetic leadership by the system leaders; leading with the essentials of faith will not please everyone in Catholic schooling; and shared authority among the superintendents, bishops, and trustees requires further dialogue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Superintendents play a key role related to influence and decision making at the school building level. This study aimed to determine the perceptions of superintendents across Oklahoma related to school-based agricultural education (SBAE). The Theory of Reasoned Action and Planned Behavior undergirded this study. This non-experimental descriptive research study aimed to reach school superintendents across Oklahoma who had one or more SBAE teachers in their district (N = 367). The 35-item instrument spanned three constructs including, SBAE program perceptions, SBAE course perceptions, and SBAE teacher perceptions, along with personal and professional characteristic questions. Nine items represented the construct of SBAE program perceptions, which resulted in a grand mean of 3.36. The second research objective measured superintendents' perceptions of SBAE courses, resulting in a grand mean of 3.29, with mean scores ranging from a low of 1.42 to a high of 3.65 on a five-point scale. The final construct aimed to establish superintendents' perceptions of SBAE teachers across Oklahoma, of which participants held a positive perception overall (grand mean = 3.26). Although this study has been replicated in three states with similar outcomes, additional research is necessary to determine administrator perceptions in states with perhaps less agricultural support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A recent study published in Educational Researcher by White (2023) examined superintendent gender gaps. This work required 4 years of internet searches to identify and match superintendent names with each of the roughly 13,000 school districts in the United States. Although this study provided important insights into the superintendent gender gaps, the study is unable to examine gaps for females of color or the long-term career pathways of superintendents. The lack of a national longitudinal superintendent dataset has meant researchers and policymakers have limited insights into superintendent racial and gender gaps, turnover rates, experience, and career pathways to the superintendency. Drawing on data from the Texas State Longitudinal Data System, we offer several findings to provide a glimpse of what could be accomplished with a longitudinal dataset. Policymakers, school boards, search firms, and communities will fail to understand the full range of challenges and opportunities to diversifying and strengthening the superintendent workforce until such a dataset exists and is accessible to researchers and other interested parties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this research is to shed light on the educational leadership practices regarding school support services at the municipal level in Iceland from the point of view of actors from both municipal and school levels. Furthermore to explain how those views are shaped by the structural arrangements and human resources of the services, population density and geographical location. Leaders of municipal educational support services, preschool principals and compulsory school principals responded to a questionnaire about practices regarding school support services. A framework of desirable leadership practices was used as an analytical tool to measure this leadership. The findings revealed that leadership practices regarding school support services match poorly with the leadership framework. Human resources are important elements of the leadership practices regarding the school support services, but the services' structural arrangements, municipal population density and geographical location are less so. It is suggested that it is necessary to focus on improvements in leadership practices in general, regarding the school support services. For that purpose, more engagement is needed in the development of professional capacity, and a focus on creating a shared understanding between the services and school principals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research has shown that effective leadership in early childhood education (ECE) can positively influence its quality. Yet, there is limited research on ECE leaders (ECLs), particularly teacher leaders. The goal of the current study was to examine how ECLs in Israel, with a dual role – as kindergarten teachers and as teachers' leaders – perceive their mid-level role, five years after its establishment. This paper presents the findings of a qualitative research study which included in-depth, semi-structured interviews with 10 ECLs to elicit their views. Findings demonstrated that ECLs perceived themselves first and foremost as colleagues and only secondly as a representative of the supervisory body. They often struggle with dual commitments; towards superintendents on the one hand and towards teachers on the other. Being an ECE leader significantly broadened their practice and motivated them to advance in the ECE field; however, it also contributed to feelings of frustration and burnout. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study aims to explore the effect of chief executive officer education on firms' action timing and acquisition performance in industry merger waves. In addition, this study investigated the moderating influence of CEO duality and firm cash flow on the relationship between education and entry timing. Design/methodology/approach: Following the methodology for determining merger waves in previous studies, the authors identified 16 industry merger waves of Chinese listed firms from 2008 to 2019. Multiple linear regression was employed to examine the hypotheses. Findings: The results showed that higher CEO education was associated with early participation in merger waves. CEO duality negatively moderated the education-entry timing relation. The effect of CEO education on entry timing was more pronounced when firms had higher cash flow. Moreover, more educated CEOs materially enhanced acquisition performance in merger waves. Originality/value: Entry timing in industry merger waves has important implications, as early movers establish competitive advantages and achieve higher acquisition performance. However, the managerial characteristics determining entry timing have not received adequate attention. Meanwhile, studies examining the effect of CEO education on acquisitions are limited. This study explored the effect of CEO education on firms' entry timing and acquisition performance in merger waves, thereby contributing to the literature on merger waves and managerial characteristics. This study's findings regarding the moderators of the education-entry timing relation enrich the literature on corporate governance and agency theory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This mixed-method study examines Michigan's Partnership policy for school turnaround, which positions the district and superintendents as key policy implementation actors. We first interviewed 21 of 35 Partnership superintendents/leaders across Michigan and surveyed teachers to understand the initial response to the turnaround policy and the strategic planning process. We then used our understanding of these leaders' responses to conduct a purposively sampled embedded multiple comparative case study of three varied districts. These case studies helped us more deeply understand and compare how districts engaged in the process of crafting coherence and school-level stakeholders' perceptions of activities related to coherence and implementation of the reform. Based on these two levels of data collection and analysis, we found that many leaders used the opportunity to create new changes, roles, and partnerships, but the majority also symbolically adopted policy demands by aligning their turnaround plans with pre-existing efforts. Using cross-case comparisons of our three districts, we argue that some degree of strategic buffering from policy demands may be warranted, especially when districts have low capacity and face significant challenges recruiting and retaining teachers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The issue of school safety has been interrogated as school shootings have occurred multiple times each year in the United States. This devastating reality has captured the attention of many throughout the United States. School leaders have implemented strategies to increase school safety, including the creation of practices to deter shooting incidences in schools. One such practice, the arming of school district employees, is the focus of this study. We sought to answer the following research questions: 1) How do superintendents describe their experiences implementing and leading the practice? and 2) What lessons have superintendents learned related to the practice? The data sources for this study included superintendent interviews, school district policies, and relevant documents. The findings included descriptions of the practice, the process of implementation, legal and policy guidelines, and advice for school leaders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Following a wave of racial justice activism during the summer of 2020, nearly 40 school districts passed resolutions ending the use of law enforcement in schools. In such districts, school superintendents then faced the challenge of implementing these "police-free schools' resolutions," while sometimes encountering strong resistance, from White parents and community members in particular. This case explores the challenges of implementing a police-free schools' resolution through the perspective of a White superintendent committed to anti-racism and social justice in a fictitious district called Union Public Schools. Informed by real events, the authors invite education leaders to articulate their stance and strategy as it relates to anti-racist leadership, law enforcement in schools, and White resistance to equity-oriented policy change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the concept of critical consciousness in middle grades education and the role of educational leaders in fostering it. The authors argue that leaders must develop their own critical consciousness and create environments that promote it for all stakeholders. They propose a theoretical framework that combines distributed leadership and critical consciousness, emphasizing the importance of reflection, action, and collaboration. The article also discusses the challenges of navigating equity issues and suggests utilizing policy spaces to drive change. The text provides an example of an educational leader who leveraged these spaces to define equity and gain support for their project. The text introduces a theoretical framework called "Distributed Critical Consciousness Actions for Educational Leaders," which outlines four elements for leaders to advance critical consciousness in their schools. The framework emphasizes collaboration, collective identification, political self-efficacy, and sociopolitical action. The authors acknowledge the need for further research and refinement of the framework. [Extracted from the article]