This case describes the atypically high churn rate of superintendents in Ellington City School District from 2011 to 2022. The case explores the tenures and controversies of four superintendents: Norris, Larkin, Martinez, and Hall (all pseudonyms). Detailing allegations of employee mistreatment, racism, sexism, and school board secrecy, this case raises several questions: How does a superintendent or school board address racial tension in a school district? What factors hinder superintendents from leading effectively? What is the role of the school board, and how are board members held accountable for their actions?
FloodL. D.AngelleP. S. (2022). Of school boards and superintendents. Journal of Cases in Educational Leadership, 25(1), 45–60. https://doi.org/10.1177/15554589211034551
4.
GonzalezL. (2022). Superintendents and school boards collaborate to narrow achievement gaps: A suburban New York multisite case study. Journal for Leadership and Instruction, 21(2), 9–14. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1376152.pdf
5.
JosephS. (2023). Swimming against the current: Resistance to a Black superintendent’s fight to lead for equity in an urban school district. Journal of Cases in Educational Leadership, 26(2), 87–100. https://doi:10.1177/15554589231164366
OrfieldG.BachmeierD.JamesD.EitleT. (1997, September). Deepening segregation in American public schools: A special report from the Harvard project on school desegregation. Equity & Excellence in Education, 30(2), 5–24.
