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As reported in the Sept. 29
issue of the Gazette, parents, teachers and others interested in a quality
education system and hence in the selection of the next WJC Superintendent of
Schools are weighing in on the qualifications that prospective candidates
should bring to the job. Why there is such pressing
interest in the specific qualities our next superintendent should possess is
perhaps related to the fact that the School Board’s announcement of the
position is so replete with generalities that anyone who has worked for
H&R Block or been through Madame La Rouche’s According to the announcement,
the applicant should have the ability to improve student performance, should create
an atmosphere of trust and mutual respect with the “stakeholders,” and should
be an articulate spokesman and advocate for public education. He or she
should also be experienced in managing district resources and have a
knowledge of sound fiscal procedures. Finally, prior experience as a
superintendent and a doctorate are “strongly preferred.” Why the last two qualifications
are not required, as opposed to strongly preferred, is unclear, unless the
School Board is overly desirous of giving itself enough leeway to award the Ah, you might say, but the
candidate must also qualify for the “Eligibility List of Superintendents in Well, yes, that’s true.
Unfortunately, however, there are four options allowed to superintendents seeking
to be included on the Eligibility List. The first, and most stringent,
requires a doctorate in administration or educational leadership and five
years experience in the field. Two years of teaching are required, as well as
two years in administrative or supervisory positions. The other three options require
a master’s degree, though no area of study is specified. Might a master’s in
ceramics suffice? I suppose so. But it gets better. If your candidate chooses
Option 4, you wind up with someone who holds a master’s degree “or the
equivalent” from a “regionally accredited institution.” He must have also held a “senior leadership
position,” such as Chief Executive Officer or senior military officer. And he must be recommended by a School
Board “interested in employing the individual as a superintendent.” And that’s it. What the
equivalent of a master’s degree is I have no idea. But obviously if retired
General Jones wants to become a superintendent of schools he can do so with a
master’s degree in Second World War military operations and a strong
recommendation from a School Board. Or perhaps you’d like to hire a former
CEO from Lehman Brothers who’s looking for a job and just adores public
education. Obviously Option 1 should be
the only one acceptable to a School Board running a system the size of the
WJC Schools. In addition, our board should specify that five years
experience, with only two in the classroom, just won’t do. We are, after all,
not running a system the size of that in Finally, I should like to
suggest that the School Board ask prospective candidates three of the
questions offered up by the parents and teachers interviewed for the Gazette
article: What books have you read
lately? How strong is your ability to
communicate cogently in writing? Submit a non-academic essay on a topic of
your choice. In your last assignment, what
was the dropout rate when you started, and what was it when you left? The answers to those three
questions might well tell us more than all the degrees and experience one can
muster.
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lewleadbeater.com Copyright 2002 All Rights Reserved email: LWL@lewleadbeater.com |
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