Research shows that student achievement is higher when the district leadership is stable. Superintendent turnover, especially in urban areas, continues to rise, and many blame education politics for the leadership churn. Columnist Jonathan E. Collins proposes turning the superintendency into an elected position would solve the problem. Elections would give superintendents a guaranteed term of office and they could run as an incumbent on their record.
Chiefs for Change. (2023). The state of the superintendency: Insights on how to navigate K-12 leadership in a challenging and politicized education space.
HartW.H.Schramm-PossingerM.HoyleS. (2019). Superintendent longevity and student achievement in North Carolina public schools. AASA Journal of Scholarship & Practice, 15 (4). 4–13.
4.
SchwartzH.L.DilibertiM.K. (2023). Politics is the top reason superintendents are stressed: Selected findings from the Spring 2023 American School District Panel Survey. RAND Corporation.
5.
SimpsonJ. (2013). Superintendent tenure and student achievement. AASA Journal of Scholarship & Practice, 9 (4), 10–24.