STEVE PEHA
On Nov. 29 and Dec. 15, our school board will seek input from members of the community about what we should be looking for in a new superintendent. The board has asked us all to focus on answering three questions. I’d like to offer some observations on each of those questions.
1. What key personal qualities and experience do you believe the superintendent should possess to best ensure the continued success of our students?
The most important quality our new superintendent needs is the quality of having solutions to our problems. Other qualities are less relevant. “Qualities,†in this sense, are input characteristics; they may account for a person’s past and what he or she brings into our district. I say “may†because that’s how reliable input characteristics are. As we all know from the disclaimers we hear in commercials from financial-services companies, “Past performance is no guarantee of future success.â€
We need change in our district, not yesterday’s news. The question isn’t, “Do we like this person’s background or personality or style or resume or gender or age or skin color?†It’s, “What plans does the new superintendent have to help us with our most urgent problems and how does he or she intend to execute these plans?â€
We are hiring a new superintendent because we want new results. We should therefore think not of inputs but of outputs. Input characteristics are not very helpful in this situation. Each school district is unique, and ours, in particular, has some unusual challenges.
2. What do you believe is the most immediate challenge facing our school system?
Our most immediate challenge is raising achievement levels for all students, especially those in racial, ethnic and socio-economic subgroups that we have historically neglected to educate well.
Addressing this challenge is a five-step process. We are looking for a person who knows how to address each step and who understands the necessity of addressing these steps simultaneously, not merely as Justice Warren once wrote, “with all deliberate speed,†but with sincere and legitimate alacrity.
First, improve teaching quality. The only way to improve learning is to improve teaching. If we don’t get this right, nothing else matters.
Second, increase capacity for instructional leadership by implementing a strong instructional evaluation system focused on helping teachers receive the support they need.
Third, improve data gathering and analysis so we can identify causal relationships between improved instruction and improved achievement.
Fourth, improve leadership at the district office and in the principalships such that instructional leadership is a core competency for all administrators.
Fifth, change the mission of the district to indicate our commitment to meeting the needs of every child. I suggest a mission that is clear, concise, measurable, memorable and meaningful: “Every child will graduate high school with the skills and scores necessary to pursue post-secondary education.â€
Our new mission means helping both children in advantaged and disadvantaged life situations. It means taking on as a solemn obligation the job of giving every child a shot at the best life possible. This must not be a Robin Hood strategy: We must not steal from the rich to give to the poor. If we play a zero-sum game, we will all lose. The new superintendent must bring a philosophy of abundance and opportunity to our district.
3. What is the most important initiative for the next superintendent to undertake?
First, the new superintendent must assure top talent at the district office and in leadership positions at every building. We have had a vacuum of leadership for 20 years. We are in a situation now where we have little leadership capacity. Assuring strong leadership, especially instructional leadership, is the key to future success.
At the same time, we must work to improve instruction. Teaching quality is the number-one in-school factor in student success.
Finally, we must close the achievement gap, thereby helping assure meaningful life opportunities for all students. Graduating high school with a good GPA gives kids meaningful life opportunities. Graduating from a career training program gives kids meaningful life opportunities. Getting a bachelor’s degree gives kids meaningful life opportunities. Scoring “proficient†on an end-of-grade test does not. In fact, tracking our progress via state test performance may obscure persistent problems.
The next superintendent has serious work to do. So we must choose a person who is serious about doing it. We must remember that we are not hiring someone for their resume, but for their results. We will know who this person is when he or she arrives not with a list of former accomplishments but with a set of present solutions and a credible commitment to the achievement of meaningful results in the future.
Steve Peha is founder and president of Carrboro-based Teaching That Makes Sense Inc.