Examining School Board Members' Expectations For District Superintendents Using The Iowa Standards For School Leaders

Abstract

The relationship between a superintendent and the school board is a key element in determining the tenure of the superintendent (Barth, 2003; Hoyle, English, & Steffy, 1998; Glass & Franceschini, 2007; Hess, 2002; Mountford, 2008), and superintendent tenure often determines the ability of school districts to make necessary improvements (Caplan, 2010; Myers, 2011; Waters & Marzano, 2006). Tenure is often determined by the expectations that school boards have for their superintendents, with new hires often surprised by those after they are given the job. The purpose of this study was to determine if the expectations of board members could be predicted based upon certain characteristics of age, sex, level of education, years of service on the board, and district enrollment. Hierarchical regression analysis indicates that female school board members place greater importance on the standard shared vision than male board members. Additionally, age was a positive predictor for the importance placed upon the standard family and community, while years of service on the board was a negative predictor for the importance placed on family and community. Qualitative responses indicate that school board members strongly favor superintendents with high integrity, ranking the standard on ethics as the most important standard. Recommendations for practice are provided for superintendents, school board members, professional organizations, and preparatory programs.