The Politics of Leadership: Superintendents and School Boards in Changing Times (Educational Policy in the 21st Century) (Educational Policy in the 21st Century)

The primary contribution of this book, is not its advocacy of a specific position but rather, its objective analysis of cogent topics. The content prompts us to consider governance in relation to quality education and to ponder alternative policy strategies that have yet to be fully evaluated. As a young doctoral student more than a few years ago, William Van Til, an eminent scholar and a mentor, reminded me almost daily that members of the education profession had a moral responsibility to address the most difficult questions about education and democracy. These enduring queries, he argued, extended to determining how this critical social service should be organized and controlled and to determining the appropriate roles for administrators and teachers. Those in our profession who fail to heed his advice by remaining indifferent to these philosophical dilemmas should consider Plato’s long-standing warning: “One of the penalties for refusing to participate in politics is that you end up being governed by your inferiors."

CONTENTS: Series Foreword, Bruce Anthony Jones. Foreword, Theodore J. Kowalski. Superintendent-Board Relations: An Historical Overview of the Dynamics of Change and Sources of Conflict and Collaboration, Lars G. Björk. The Board President and Superintendent: An Examination of Influence Through the Eyes of the Decision Makers, George J. Petersen and Barbara Morrow Williams. Toward a More Complex Understanding of Power to Better Grasp the Challenges of the Contemporary Superintendency, Sheldon Watson and Margaret Grogan. Personalization of Interest Groups and the Resulting Policy Nonsense: The Cobb County School Board’s Evolution Debate, V. Darleen Opfer. A-PEERances Can Be Deceiving: Superintendents, School Boards, and the Transformation of Intentions, Peggy L. Placier, Douglas R. Hager, and Angela M. Hull. When Generals (or Colonels) Become Superintendents: Conflict, Chaos, and Community, Bonnie C. Fusarelli. Political and Apolitical School Board and Superintendent Turnover: Revisiting Critical Variables in the Dissatisfaction Theory of American Democracy, Thomas Alsbury. Building Effective School System Leadership: Rethinking Preparation and Policy, Michelle D. Young. Future Research Directions and Policy Implications for Superintendent-School Board Relations, Lance D. Fusarelli. About the Authors