The Superintendent’s Priorities for a Typical Week by some Outstanding (former) Superintendents
Edited by Jack Mckay
What started out as a suggested list for a school superintendent should do during a typical week has turned into an interesting variety of good ideas.
Here is the original list:
If I am the school superintendent, here are five things I would do each week:
1. Each week, visit at least one classroom, interact with the students and teacher, and followed up with a “thank you” note and some photos taken while visiting.
2. Each week, on Facebook or Twitter, write a brief article about something good happening in the school or classroom.
3. Each week, visit a principal or supervisor and ask how things are going and how you can help them and they can help you.
4. Each week, visit with the leaders of the parent and employee groups and ask how they think things are going and how you might help to resolve those issues.
5. Each week, visit with the school board members as ask them what their concerns are from their perspective.
The last suggestion, “visiting with individual school board members.” Don Thomas, former superintendent of the Salt Lake (UT) Schools suggested that a superintendent should not be meeting with individual school board members, but rather have them respond to your weekly “notes to the board” if they have questions.
Dr. Thomas went on to write “I sent a review of district activities and future items to be discussed to each board member. Their opinions were requested. Some called, others wrote about a particular item. I received their opinions, but I never met with individual board members.”
Others have suggested meeting weekly with only the board president to get feedback on how things are going.
Dr. Bill Mathis, former superintendent in Vermont had these words of wisdom.
1. Buy a packet of gold stars and stringently pass them out for exceptional work — as if they were the Medal of Honor. Meanwhile, lavish ecumenical praise on leaders and staff for less exceptional work. Do not leave any group feeling left out.
2. Be visible. Attend funerals even if you didn’t know the honoree. Go to road races, football games, painful music concerts, etc.
3. Practice Zen and the Art of School Administration. Think macro, carefully and wisely. 4. Hire good people and give them latitude. This multiplies your effectiveness.
5. Be the learner. Be the lighthouse. Write for both the NY Times and the weekly shopper, study, read, speak and convey the most important and significant research and knowledge about education.
5. Be the leader. Be active and visible in a professional venue(association, politics, etc.).
6. Avoid in-service programs about “leadership.”
7. If the state aid formula harms the poor, don’t whine about it — Sue the bastards!
Dr. Terry Grier, former superintendent of the Houston ISD, suggested the following seven points:
1. Each week, I would reflect on what my staff and I did last week to help meet the one or two BIG goals the organization had set for the year.
2. Each week, I would make sure that I took time each day to meditate or engage in a physical workout session.
3. Each week, I would ask key questions of my associates and assistants about their work-progress and roadblocks.
4. Each week, I would visit schools and ask teachers whether the administrative staff was visiting their classroom and providing them with needed support.
5. Each week, I would review attendance data (especially for the primary grades), and dropout data from middle and high schools.
6. Each week, I would commit not to be at evening events more than two nights. I’d delegate attendance at others to staff (putting the job ahead of family and faith will cause you to lose both).
7. Each week, I would meet with the board president and hold a separate meeting with another member of the board. It would be a breakfast meeting to save time. I would always end the meeting with the question, “How do you think I’m doing?”
What do you think? Any other suggestions? Send them, Jack McKay. Your comments will be appreciated.
Some of my favorite school leadership quotes:
“Don’t tell me what you value. Instead, tell me what you do and I will tell you what you value.”
“Friends come and go, but enemies seem to accumulate.”Corollary: You have enemies? Good. That means you’ve stood up for something, sometime in your life.
“From the perspective of a visitor, sometimes it may be hard to tell if you are leading the parade or being run out of town.”