Five Guiding Principles to Power Your Superintendency

A veteran superintendent shares his keys to longevity in the role in a recent article in District Administration.

1. Keep the focus on student growth. This means academic press--high expectations that are reflected in the communication, conversations, policies and practices of the district. It means hiring quality teachers and continuing to build their capacity to serve the unique needs of each student.
2. Communication with the community. Seek ways to share your district’s story, and find multiple ways to gather feedback from your constituents. What does your community want? What gaps exist? How do they feel about the school? What do they wish they knew? What do you wish they knew (that you can legally and ethically share)? What relationships do you need to build and with whom? 
3. Collaborate. This principle applies throughout the system. Teachers meet in grade level, department or other purposeful teams to discuss student learning, student work, and student data. They are supported by administrators and together they design interventions and enrichments to support learners. Administrators work with each other to ensure smooth transitions from one school to another, to maintain clarity of expectations so that students in your district have a cohesive PK-12 experience. The principle also applies to collaboration with community partners and organizations in order to create opportunities for students.
4. Systemic improvement. FranklinCovey’s 4DX process can support execution of strategies. Your school improvement plan, your strategic plan, your vision--all can support you in holding yourselves accountable to the goals you’ve set.
5. Trust. The author explains that these first four principles engender trust. How have you built trust this year? How do you come to understand the problem/s in the district from the lens of the parent, student, community member, teacher? How do you arrive at solutions? How do you track progress toward those solutions? 

In addition to these principles, the author emphasizes the importance of being present in the community, of meeting monthly with other organizations in his community, of speaking at community clubs and events, of fostering quality relationships with his board and keeping them informed, and of being curious about how AI can support his leadership. 

Read the full article.