An Impossible Position
Carl Cohn’s cover story (“An Impossible Position”) in your September issue is spot on and so effectively forefronts the role of the superintendent during the pandemic and beyond. He touches on what policies, practices and research are needed to make sure we have great and diverse leaders in this role and to ensure the job is one that actually can be carried out.
I thought the piece was very powerful, and we intend to make sure it reaches our audiences.
HEATHER J. HOUGH
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR,
POLICY ANALYSIS FOR CALIFORNIA EDUCATION,
STANFORD, CALIF.
No truer words have been written than what I read in
Carl Cohn’s excellent and timely article.
While this is a challenging time, I agree with him that this crisis provides an opportunity to do things differently in how we train, select and support senior administrators. That’s especially important for the superintendent. After now working with leaders in many states, I have a different and more realistic view of our colleagues and their preparation for the leadership role.
JERRY D. WEAST
FOUNDER AND CEO,
PARTNERSHIP FOR DELIBERATE EXCELLENCE,
LEBANON, TENN.
The circumstances Carl Cohn describes for superintendents today in “An Impossible Position” are a shame, but I see it differently. If superintendents leave just because of a rough patch, then maybe they were never the right person for the job in the first place.
As a superintendent, you have to be able to absorb the attacks and move forward with the mission. I never see them as personal attacks because if I wasn’t the superintendent, then they wouldn’t even know me. I also don’t call them personal attacks. Rather, I call them “superintendent attacks,” and they are part of this job. Tough times call for tough leaders.
MATTHEW CAREY
SUPERINTENDENT,
PITTSGROVE TOWNSHIP SCHOOL DISTRICT,
PITTSGROVE, N.J.
Carl Cohn's “An Impossible Position” clearly illustrates the crisis in school district leadership. My heart went out to each of those superintendents he referenced and to all the children they served who need strong, capable leaders in their schools.
Cohn’s warning regarding the "inevitable racial reckoning" reads like a clarion call for all of us to be prepared and courageous. His suggestion that this may be the time, the crisis opportunity, when new young leaders of diverse backgrounds can enter the field, gives me even greater encouragement to keep seeking out those new leaders.
MARY JANE BURKE
SUPERINTENDENT,
MARIN COUNTY, CALIF.
What a
terrific article Carl Cohn wrote for your September issue. His work is worthy of serious discussion, especially the last part that argues for more business/management content from business schools in superintendent preparation.
Having tried unsuccessfully to make such changes permanent at University of Rochester and University of Southern California, I would urge readers to reflect on why so few of the 800 or more educational administration preparatory programs in the U.S. have taken on the mantel of the Broad Academy and others. His mention of Claremont University is really more an exception that proves a rule.
A most thought-provoking piece.
GUILBERT C. HENTSCHKE
DEAN EMERITUS,
ROSSIER SCHOOL OF EDUCATION,
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA,
LOS ANGELES, CALIF.
Letters should be addressed to: Editor,
School Administrator, 1615 Duke St., Alexandria, VA 22314. Email:
magazine@aasa.org