This chapter reviews literature in support of a study investigating the selection of school superintendents by boards of education or district school boards. One focus of the problem investigated is on the criteria applied by boards of education and district school boards in the selection of new school superintendents from among candidates for the positions. A second focus of the study is on the perceptions of successful candidates for school superintendent positions of the selection criteria that led to their appointments.
Public education in the United States entered a new era of accountability and reform in the 1990s. The transition process in public education continues in the twenty-first century (Smith, 2000). The changing demands of public school systems in this dynamic period demand not only strong leadership qualities but also leadership qualities compatible with contemporary public school environments and the communities that they serve (Hoyle & Slater, 2001).
The literature reviewed in this chapter will therefore focus on the leadership skills possessed by candidates for school superintendent, thei approach to leadership practice, and the values held by those candidates. To be successful as a school superinntendent, the leadership skills, approach to leadership practice, and values of the individual in that position must be fully compatible with the needs, culture, and values of the school district and of the community served by the school district (Howell & Costley, 2000). Therefore, this chapter reviews literature relevant to (1) educational reform, (2) the role of values, (3) shared decision-making, (4) transformational versus transactional leadership, (5) entrepreneurial versus covert leadership, and (6) specific necessary characteristics beyond leadership.
Since the mid-1980s in the United States, a movement to reform public education (primary through secondary levels) has grown along with public dissati...