From Superintendent to Professor

Bernadeia Johnson, now an assistant professor at Minnesota State University, formerly worked for five years as superintendent in Minneapolis, Minn. PHOTO COURTESY OF MINNEAPOLIS PUBLIC SCHOOLS

As a district superintendent, you’ve reached the professional peak of a public education career. So what’s next when you’re ready to step away but remain active in the field?

Heading to a local college or university to teach future school administrators and teachers might seem like an appealing second or even third professional chapter. Yet switching from K-12 to higher education isn’t exactly akin to high school seniors graduating and moving on to their first year of college.

Here’s some guidance, provided by several knowledgeable authorities and some who’ve made the leap to higher education, to help you decide whether this is the right move and how to make the transition smoother.

»No. 1: Manage expectations.

The financial discrepancy between being a superintendent and a professor can be jarring.

“Superintendents are not beating down the door to higher ed,” says James Berry, executive director of the 800-member International Council of Professors of Educational Leadership, as well as a professor in the department of leadership and counseling at Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti, Mich.

In most school districts, superintendents earn comfortable six-figure salaries, while an assistant professor salary at a state university, depending on previous experience, is usually around $70,000, according to the Chronicle of Higher Education.

Although Berry’s organization does not track the numbers of former superintendents who are professors of education, informally he and others acknowledge that many adjuncts, and to a lesser extent full-time education professors, have previously spent decades in school leadership roles. At Eastern Michigan University, about 20 percent of those teaching in the education department have come out of K-12.

The rhythm of a university can be quite different from the K-12 environment.

“There’s more bureaucracy in higher ed,” explains Bernadeia Johnson, an assistant professor at Minnesota State University, Mankato, in the Center for Engaged Leadership, who earlier spent five years as a superintendent. “You can’t call a meeting in advance.”

Those who move after years in public school systems ought to be prepared for what the faculty role really entails.

“I was surprised at how much I’d be using my teaching skills,” says David DeJong, assistant professor at the University of South Dakota, who spent 11 years in K-12 before moving into higher education. He’s responsible for the university’s preparation program for superintendents and carries a teaching load of six courses during a typical academic year. “More than half the job is back to teaching,” he adds.

Coming from a superintendent position, he found it disconcerting to adapt to his reduced status.

Being “at the bottom of the totem pole took longer for me to adjust to than I thought,” says DeJong, who spent eight years as superintendent in Pella, Iowa. For someone who had hired well over 100 staff members, DeJong was surprised that when he led two faculty searches for the university, ultimately, he didn’t get to make the final decision. “My bosses who met the person for five minutes did. That was a hard adjustment,” he says.

»No. 2: Recognize a college or university does not operate like a school district.

That may seem rather obvious, but until you’re immersed in the campus environment, the cultural contrast can be challenging.

“Eighty percent of the university is familiar,” says ICPEL’s Berry. “Twenty percent is the adjustment to higher education and its culture.”

Johnson, who was superintendent in Minneapolis between 2010 and 2015 before taking a professorship, sees a considerable difference in the pace. “Superintendents are running around all the time. You can contact a student or staff,” she says. “In the university, the energy is not there. You’re not constantly reminded why you’re there.”

She suggests thinking of the role as “an independent contractor within the university.”

Time management, paradoxically enough, can be more of an issue than you might anticipate. Teaching, whether four or six hours a week — along with offering office hours to students — may not even add up to two full days on a superintendent’s work calendar. Yet it’s all too easy to underestimate how much time working on committee service or preparing course sessions and evaluating students’ work will take.

And as Johnson admits, it was disconcerting to recognize that her continued role on local governing boards in her community or on national boards “is not valued the same way as service to the university.”

The latter is what counts. Advising students usually is part of the job, and sometimes faculty are expected to promote the university’s education degree programs among prospective students.

David DeJong was superintendent in Pella, Iowa, before becoming an assistant professor at the University of South Dakota. PHOTO COURTESY OF DAVID DEJONG

»No. 3: Identify your motivations.

With more than 40 years of experience in education, including serving as the superintendent in Somers, in suburban Westchester County, N.Y., Joanne Marien wanted to extend her professional life and “give back experiential knowledge.” Marien joined the core faculty for the doctoral program in education at Manhattanville College in Purchase, N.Y., where she focuses on policy, practice and school change. She calls the work “a labor of love.”

DeJong, who was superintendent in a rural district of 550 students, wanted to be in a role where he could motivate others to commit to careers in public education. “I was wondering if a professor in education leadership could inspire exponentially. I underestimated the impact,” he says. “I feel like I’m impacting the state of South Dakota.”

For Johnson, who teaches policy and administration, ethics and legal issues with particular attention to due process, the opportunity to “bring together theory and practice” to her students was the principal draw.

Johnson chose to work with the university’s Center for Engaged Leadership precisely because this program enables her to address race, diversity, equity and inclusion in K-12 education.

While continuing to offer service to the education field is a worthy motivation, there’s a sense that higher education would benefit from talented administrators joining the academy earlier in their careers.

Still, Berry adds, “Too many are coming to give back. They’re not giving the same kind of contribution to education and that hurts us in higher ed. They’re not transitioning until they’ve worked 30 years, and then they have only five or ten years in higher ed.”

»No. 4: Find meaningful research and projects.

Kenneth Mitchell, a former superintendent now on the faculty at Manhattanville College in Purchase, N.Y., believes whatever veteran school leaders do in the university classroom ought to address these questions: “What does it bring to the field? How will it help students and teachers? What is the contribution? It should be action research.”

As editor of AASA’s peer-reviewed quarterly Journal of Scholarship and Practice, Mitchell is especially attuned to the expectations of scholarly research for those joining the professorial ranks. Seek out advice and guidance on what kinds of publications will count and be meaningful for one’s tenure process if on a tenure track, he says.

For Brian Osborne, who joined Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pa., in 2019, after 12 years as a superintendent in New Jersey’s South Orange-Maplewood and New York’s New Rochelle districts, directing graduate students in real-world projects in education is the primary goal.

“I saw what rigorous, realistic and practical training can do,” says Osborne, who earned an Ed.D. at Harvard’s Graduate School of Education. “The typical series of courses are necessary but not sufficient for leadership. It’s not just the case study approach.”

Instead, Osborne wants his students to explore the “real work, taking guided risks and actually doing components of school and school district work.“ Effective educational leadership programs “cultivate excellent partnerships with practicing superintendents in local districts, for a cohort approach to superintendent leadership,” he adds.

One project he has assigned students examines resource management as a component of a school district’s budget development. In his Leading and Managing Change course, two students are looking at “reworking relationships between districts and police,” a timely issue nationwide tied to the social justice movement.

»No. 5: Think of technology as a non-negotiable tool.

The COVID-19 pandemic has placed pressure on college and university faculty to deliver instruction in different ways as many of their campuses have closed fully or moved to partially in-person instruction. Don’t think of delivering a stereotypical lecture in a video, Mitchell advises. Instead, think of it as “constructing learning experiences as a social process.”

During this time of remote instruction, one-time superintendents who are teaching must have a “quick adaptation to digital platforms and incorporate technical skills,” Mitchell says. Whether that means becoming comfortable with Zoom breakout rooms for small-group activities and conversations or using a variety of Google tools, there’s much more than delivering a lecture with a computer camera.

Standing in front of a class, sharing old stories of managing a challenging school board or successfully shepherding a school facility bond to the community won’t be sufficient. Professors need mastery of relevant topics such as school law and school-community relations, along with proficiency in supervising instruction, preparing operating budgets and negotiating contracts with teachers and other district staff. Also, it helps to have skills in legislative advocacy and dealing with the state department of education and understanding how legislation affects local school policies and programs when presenting yourself as a candidate for a faculty position.

Kelly Coffin teaches graduate courses at Eastern Michigan University while serving as an assistant superintendent in Farmington, Mich. PHOTO COURTESY OF KELLY COFFIN

The situation is especially fluid at this moment, given the reality of COVID-19. As ICPEL’s Berry says, “Many ed leadership programs will be virtual or hybrid. Many [school] administrators have had staff to help with technology. More programs are moving online. Developing an online class is way more work. If you’re trying to make the transition to higher ed in 2020, you need a background in software and teaching virtually or remotely.”

»No. 6: Test the waters as an adjunct.

Maybe you’re hesitant about taking the full plunge. Many superintendents-turned-professors started out as adjunct instructors, which can be a way to gauge whether higher education is a comfortable fit.

Plenty of superintendents prefer the role of adjunct, perhaps teaching a single evening course to graduate students one semester each year. Depending on the college or university, the salary is about $3,000 for a three-credit course. Titles vary too, with non-tenured positions listed as academic lecturers or professors of practice.

Kelly Coffin, an assistant superintendent in Farmington, Mich., has taught courses as an adjunct at Eastern Michigan University for five years. “I teach at the master’s (level) for educational leadership, which is informing my own practice,” she says.

Coffin expects her students to approach the budgeting process as an expression of “how it demonstrates our values. How do we ensure through our budgeting process that we support innovative programs? Does your budget reflect equity practices? I bring the perspective of stretching our thinking.”

Unlike typical adjunct professors, Coffin serves on some faculty committees and works with the dean of the education department. “This just leaves the door open” to future career plans, she says.

For those thinking of dipping their toes into the water, Coffin suggests “reaching out to department heads” about your interest and “make your intention known.” Large state universities depend on their part-time faculty and offer lots of opportunities for experienced K-12 educators. “If you have any thoughts of a career after K-12, this is a great way to build a network, even if it’s not the university where you want to be. It’s mutually beneficial. You’re supporting the leaders of the future and developing your own career,” Coffin says.

MERRI ROSENBERG is an education freelance writer in Ardsley, N.Y. 

A Relevant Scholarly Journal

Superintendents moving into higher education will want to consider the AASA Journal of Scholarship and Practice as a place to submit their scholarly writing.

The journal publishes four times a year, focusing on research and evidence-based practice relating to K-12 education and school leadership. Submissions are refereed and blind-reviewed by external educators, meaning published work typically counts toward advancement and tenure decisions at colleges and universities.

The publication, which has been produced digitally by AASA since 2004, is designed to benefit AASA members and full-time and adjunct professors.

The journal’s editor is Kenneth Mitchell, an associate professor at Manhattanville College in Purchase, N.Y., and a former superintendent.

Author guidelines and past issues can be found online.

Mitchell also welcomes interest from active and retired superintendents to serve on the publication’s editorial review board.