State of the Superintendency
Effectiveness Factors
School Administrator, March 2019


What do superintendents believe contributes most significantly to their effectiveness on the job?

The top three factors across all sizes of school districts, according to an AASA member survey, were (in order) relationships with site administrators; relationships with teachers; and administrative experience.

Superintendents’ views varied somewhat by district size. Those in the smallest districts (300 and fewer students) picked their teacher relationships by a wide margin as most significant.

SOURCE: “Study of the American Superintendent: 2015 Mid-Decade Update.” Full report available from AASA.