District Administration - April 2011 - (Page 36)

Superintendent Staying SPECIAL REPORT: TENURE Power 6 Broward County (Fla.) Public Schools * Average superintendent tenure over the last 15 years: 6.1 years Superintendent: JameS F. notter—november 2006-present accomplishments: Notter is a 37-year veteran of education who started his career as a school teacher in New York. As superintendent, he has overhauled the district’s instructional technology, created a plan to reduce class size and increased attendance and performance in the county’s adult academic and technical programs. in the classroom or run a school.” He accepts that business leaders or CEOs of school districts can lead if they have a deputy who can run the instructional side of the district, such as the case in New York City, where Shael PolakowSuransky was appointed to serve as chief academic officer with the rank of senior deputy chancellor, directly under the system’s new chancellor, Cathie Black, a former magazine and newspaper executive with no education experience. Female Leaders The CGCS’s and AASA’s reports also point out that there are more female superintendents than there have been in the past decade. The largest increase in urban districts is of white women, who went from 0 to 9 percent from 1999 to 2010, the CGCS’s report states. The AASA’s report Superintendent: Franklin l. till, Jr.—august 1999-november 2006 accomplishments: Till began the Urban Teacher Academy Project to encourage graduating high school seniors to pursue teaching and work within the district to curb its teacher shortage. He also built coalitions with neighboring counties to help the district. reason for leaving: The board of education fired him in part for what they say was poor performance. He went on to work as the superintendent of Cumberland County (N.C.) Schools in 2009. Superintendent: Frank r. Petruzielo—February 1994-January 1999 accomplishments: Petruzielo improved schools on the state’s list of failing schools, and raised academic and graduation standards. He turned down a proposal for a year-round school year and ended prolonged contract negotiations with the teachers union. reason for leaving: He left to become superintendent of Cherokee County (Ga.) Schools. * Sixth largest school district in the U.S. 9 percent of CGCS 7 Houston Independent School District * Average superintendent tenure over the last 15 years: 4.9 years Superintendent: terry grier—September 2009-present accomplishments: Grier is well-regarded for reducing high-school dropout rates with innovative programs for at-risk students. He launched the Online Credit-Recovery Initiative to reduce the dropout rate and is committed to placing an effective teacher in every classroom and an exemplary principal in every school. superintendents in 2010 have been in office for one year or less, down from 36 percent in 1999. Source: CGCS’ “Urban School Superintendents: Characteristics, Tenure and Salary,” Seventh Survey and Report is more promising, revealing that 24 percent of superintendents nationwide are women. Hillsborough County (Fla.) Public Schools Superintendent MaryEllen Elia, Hawaii Department of Education Superintendent Kathryn Matayoshi and New York City’s Black are leading three of the 10 largest school districts. But the CGCS’s report also reveals a slight decrease in the percentage of Hispanic and black female superintendents. Both Carvalho and Hamilton say the numbers are alarming. “This decrease is a wake-up call to all minorities,” Hamilton says. “We should all be concerned with this decline.” Because Hispanics have become the largest minority group in the nation, Carvalho believes they should have a larger representation in school leadership. 36 April 2011 Superintendent: abelardo Saavedra—June 2004-august 2009 accomplishments: Saavedra, who first served as an interim superintendent, enacted a pay-for-performance program for teachers, streamlined district administration, built and equipped science labs in more than 100 elementary schools and started a credit recovery program. He also implemented a value-added growth model that led to higher student achievement and a college-bound culture among the students. reason for leaving: He retired, stating he achieved all he could in Houston. Superintendent: kaye StriPling—January 2001-June 2004 accomplishments: Stripling won voter approval of an $808 million bond program to rebuild schools, implemented major changes to the district’s dropout reporting policy and organized a citywide summit to seek solutions. She also broadened the focus on raising exam scores with programs that prepare students for college. reason for leaving: She retired, but continued informal lobbying in Austin on school business. Superintendent: rod Paige—February 1994-december 2000 accomplishments: Paige, who held several posts at Texas Southern University including as dean of the school’s College of Education, established Houston schools as one of the nation’s top urban school districts, having improved test scores and academic performance. Paige also ended racial quotas in magnet school assignments and social promotion. reason for leaving: He left the superintendency to become U.S. Secretary of Education under George W. Bush. * Seventh largest school district in the U.S. District Administration

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of District Administration - April 2011

District Administration - April 2011
Contents
From the Editor
Letters
News Update
Labor Relations
Administrator Profile
District Profile
Conversations
Superintendent Staying Power
Helping STEM Take Route
High-Stakes Cheating
Are Your Graduates Succeeding in College?
Problem/Solution
New Products
Product Focus
Online Edge
Going Mobile
Professional Opinion

District Administration - April 2011