Urban school superintendents face unprecedented challenges. They must ensure that all students achieve a high level of performance despite a lack of resources, the intractable problems of race and poverty, a chaotic governance structure, and the often conflicting demands of teachers, parents, unions, and the community. This important book, edited by the co-directors of the prestigious Harvard Urban Superintendents Program (USP), explores the ways in which superintendents can make a difference in the lives of each child, every day, by being knowledgeable about and driven by what happens in the classroom. The editors and distinguished contributors cover a wide range of vital topics that superintendents face from the day they are hired to the day they retire, such as how superintendents can most effectively communicate their vision, plan strategically, institute instructional reform, engage the community, and allocate resources. The book is filled with illustrative examples of well-known superintendents who are trailblazing new means to achieve educational fairness for all children and are changing the landscape of urban school systems today. In addition, Every Child, Every Classroom, Every Day highlights the Urban Superintendents Program's Leadership Framework, which is designed to aid administrators and educators in decision making and achieving equity. An ancillary CD containing teaching notes and exhibits is also included (in the print edition only) as an aid to teachers who wish to scaffold material discussed in the text.
Note: CD-ROM/DVD and other supplementary materials are not included as part of eBook file. These materials will be made available for download upon purchase of the digital edition
Co-published with Education Week and the American Association of School Administrators.
Table of Contents:
About the AASA, Education Week, and Education Week Press iv
CD Contents ix
Preface: The Superintendent of Learning: A New Way of Leading School Systems xi
Paul D. Houston
Acknowledgments xvii
One The Urban Superintendents Program Leadership Framework 1
Larry Leverett
Two A Superintendent’s Entry 16
Leslie Boozer
Three Communicating the Vision 26
Breathing Life into Your Vision 26
Holly Weeks
Meria Joel Carstarphen, St. Paul Public Schools: Where Imagination Meets Destination 31
Leslie Boozer and Laura Kelley
Communicating to Change the Culture 47
Brian G. Osborne
Four Strategic Planning 54
Planning to Succeed: Strategic Approaches for Every Superintendent 54
Janice Jackson
Maria Goodloe-Johnson, Seattle Public Schools: The Strategy Behind the Plan 60
Leslie Boozer and Laura Kelley
The Best Laid Plans . . . 75
Maree Sneed
Five Instructional Improvement 82
Leading Learning in Urban Schools 82
Richard F. Elmore
Deborah Jewell-Sherman, Richmond Public Schools: Getting to the Heart of the Work 89
Kristy Cooper, Laura Kelley, Leslie Boozer, and Aaliyah El-Amin
Building New Structures and Options for Success 108
Rudy F. Crew
Six School Boards and Unions 114
Moving Ahead with School Boards and Teachers Unions 114
Susan Moore Johnson
Andrés Alonso, Baltimore City Public Schools: The Superintendent and Board Partnership 119
Laura Kelley and Leslie Boozer
Pragmatic Radicalism: The Superintendent as Catalyst, Capacity Builder, and Concertmaster 134
Joshua P. Starr
Seven Realigning Resources 141
Strategic Resource Allocation: The Superintendent’s Perspective 141
James P. Honan
Arlene Ackerman, School District of Philadelphia: The Quest for Educational Equity 146
Leslie Boozer and Laura Kelley
The Equity Fight in Utica, Michigan 165
Christine M. Johns
Eight Community Engagement 174
Why Family and Community Partnerships are Important to District Reform 174
Karen L. Mapp
Beverly Hall, Atlanta Public Schools: From the Living Room to the Boardroom 179
Laura Kelley, Leslie Boozer, and Drew Echelson
Hit the Ground Listening 196
Carol Johnson and Michele Brooks
Nine Scaling Up 204
Scaling Up: The Key to School Improvement 204
Robert S. Peterkin
Rudy Crew, New York City Public Schools: Instilling Success in Every School 210
Laura Kelley and Leslie Boozer
Scaling Up Connections 227
Amalia Cudeiro
Ten Sustaining Improvement over Time 232
Replicating the ‘‘Long Beach Way’’ 232
Carl A. Cohn
Chris Steinhauser, Long Beach Unified School District: Eluding the Allure of Quick Fixes 237
Leslie Boozer and Laura Kelley
Building and Sustaining Improvement over Time: The Austin Story 254
Pascal D. Forgione Jr.
Eleven Exiting the Superintendency 261
Laura Kelley
Epilogue: Demography is Not Destiny! 271
Deborah Jewell-Sherman
About the Authors and Subjects of the Case Studies 279
What’s on the CD and How to Use It 292
Index 295
