e both tough and gentle, and to be both leader and follower" (Murphy, 1991, pp. 507-13).
Regardless of how one views the superintendent's responsibilities, "the position of superintendent at the nexus of social traffic in the educational organization and between the district and its larger community makes the district chief's work inevitably political" (Wimpelberg, 1997, p. 335). Superintendents, "regardless of their personal political skills, need to be sensitive to political dynamics at the community level" (Johnson, as cited in Wimpelberg, 1997).
Superintendents operate in systems that are political, which leads to the image of the superintendent "acting as broker in a process of distributing resources to outsiders who vie for them" (Wimpelberg, 1997, p. 336). Yet he or she must do so within an ever-decreasing range of freedom to act. Vocal and sometimes angry parent groups, special interest lobbies, voter-sensitive legislative committees, and media eager for juicy sound bytes characterize the current political age. Thus, the "average superintendent's tenure is close to five years, and the average urban superintendent leaves office after less than three years on the job" (Renchler, as quoted in Wimpelberg, 1997).
Some of the new duties that superintendents face "under systemic reform include helping to establish organizat
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