1. Leadership for Change. National Superintendent of the Year Forum, 2007
- Author
-
American Association of School Administrators, Pittman, Karen, Irby, Merita, and Adams-Taylor, Sharon
- Abstract
The American Association of School Administrators (AASA) invited the 2007 state winners to gather in Denver, Colorado, for three days of intensive dialogue about the challenges facing today's superintendents. As a result of the panels and small group discussions that followed, superintendents identified and detailed in this paper five avenues for the creation of a new learning system. They are: (1) reframe the challenge; (2) re-envision the structures; (3) redefine the goals; (4) recalibrate the learning environments; and (5) redefine leadership. AASA Associate Executive Director Bruce Hunter posed questions to state superintendents of the year about how the federal government could most efficiently and effectively work with states and school districts to improve educational results for low-income students, about from how the federal government can best work with states, and what accountability system will result in the best outcomes for low-income students. (See a sampling of key questions on page 16.) The demands and challenges facing today's superintendents are extensive, but the superintendents of the year who gathered in Denver in December 2007 moved forward in their efforts to ensure every child receives an education that will best prepare him or her for the 21st century. They focused on the development of a new learning system, acknowledging the importance of broad ownership and collaboration for student success, and sharing strategies for expanding opportunities for learning in school and out. They reflected on their approach to leadership and rethinking what effective leadership looks like. Increasingly, they are "sense-makers" who are helping to connect the dots for staff members, parents and the community about why meaningful education improvements are needed.
- Published
- 2008