2012 UCEA Convention

How do you know you are doing a good job? Lars Svedberg, Uppsala University Superintendents in Swedish municipalities are exposed to a multitude of formal and informal demands.
The New Public Management movement has a strong impact in Sweden and claim to provide explicit guidelines in many cases. On top of this media, national and international stakeholders provide a number of “success-lists” offering “golden keys” to the desired future. In this situation the superintendent’s capacity to interpret is vital since it forms the basis for actions.
First Links: Exploring the Interplay of Authority and Leadership in a School Chain. David H. Eddy Spicer, University of Bath
Convening schools into networks has developed into a prominent feature of policy aimed at sustainable reform in a wide range of educational systems. This nested, explanatory case study explores the evolution of control in the emergence of a chain of schools in England through the dynamics of authority in interorganizational interactions. The study improves understanding of the ways interorganizational relationships are reshaping notions of leadership and the connections between leadership and organizational form.
Leadership Reality Check: How Humble Superintendents Help Students Achieve More. Kimberly Hough, Berkeley County Schools
This survey study was designed to determine whether superintendent accountability behaviors or agreement about accountability behaviors between superintendents and their subordinate central office administrators predicted district student achievement. Hierarchical multiple regression and ANCOVA analyses were employed, controlling for district socioeconomic status. Superintendents who agreed with subordinate administrators about their accountability behaviors or underestimated these behaviors led districts with significantly higher student achievement in mathematics and reading than superintendents who overestimated their accountability behaviors.
The Role of School Boards in Governance, Leadership & Educational Reform In Florida. Dr. Mark H. Levine, UCEA; Dr. Paul George Van Buskirk, UCEA
This paper reports the findings of a newly developed district-level school board leadership assessment, as a psychometric instrument, that correlates particular governance practices with student’s performance (achievement) in the State of Florida. The assessment incorporates sustainable performance standards and practices derived from learning and leadership theories and practices. Study results show higher levels of student achievement in school districts where school board members collectively scored higher on a school board leadership assessment.