Operating With an Entry-Year Playbook

James Crawford, who has worked in central-office and school administration in Washington state, has collaborated with the Washington Association of School Administrators on guidance for new superintendents’ leadership entry plans during COVID-19. PHOTO COURTESY OF FEDERAL WAY, WASH., PUBLIC SCHOOLS

No one at the start of the COVID‑19 pandemic predicted two-plus years of intense divisiveness in school communities and frustration and anxiety among those leading public school districts. The significant consequences on superintendents’ careers have been notable.

We’ve seen many experienced superintendents bow out before they had intended, and a major new crop of superintendents enter the role. This fall, at least 38 of Washington state’s 295 school districts and intermediate educational agencies will have new individuals at the helm.

In pre-pandemic times, new superintendents could expect to enter new communities with an upbeat honeymoon period when they would learn dutifully about community history, establish relationships and unite the community toward a shared vision.

Superintendents hired during the pandemic have experienced no such honeymoon. The 29 (or more) new superintendents who started work in Washington state in 2021-22 have been navigating pandemic-caused twists and turns, leading to a whole new set of trials and errors.

These new superintendents have navigated complex challenges while trying to balance tensions over public health precautions and school operations — and doing so without any pandemic entry plan playbook. The Washington Association of School Administrators has provided training for newcomers entering a first superintendency.

Five Considerations

From their entry experiences, five important lessons surfaced that we believe can support reconciliation between schools and educators and their communities.

»Lesson 1: Lead for mutual ownership.

Many superintendents planned to conduct entry plan processes on their own yet learned the power of mutual ownership.

With prepared entry plans in hand, the pandemic quickly robbed considerable time from the process. To recapture that time, many set aside their previous plans and relied heavily on alignment with their board of education and trusted teams for support. These teams included trusted mentors, executive leadership, former superintendents, school board members, community leaders, staff, parents and students.

One first-year superintendent described the entry plan experience this way: “These past few months were very non-typical and challenging. My original plan was written with something else in mind. After multiple meetings with the board, staff, parents and students, we adjusted it. I presented the plan to my board for feedback and included extensive input to ensure it reflected our needs.”

Superintendents found great strength in learning with their new communities. Community members were invited to listen and learn alongside the new superintendent. Teams analyzed data, determined root causes and developed summaries with next steps for board review.

“Creating mutual ownership strengthened school and community relationships,” one rookie superintendent said. “We became a community learning together.”

»Lesson 2: Lead for adaptability and flexibility.

Trained to attentively record and meet deadlines and ensure accountability, many superintendents learned the power of adaptability and flexibility.

With entry plans prepared, superintendents used typical measures to monitor their plan. These included updates to the board, check-off systems, district websites, newsletters and presentations to the community. These deadlines quickly shifted.

“We created accountability check-ins as part of my evaluation, with regular communication timelines developed at our board retreat. We defined the measures of success and built them into the plan with board, staff and community updates,” said a first-year superintendent of a medium-sized suburban school district. “We adjusted the deadlines throughout the year because we couldn’t keep up with the pace. What was developed did not meet our current need. So we adjusted and moved forward.”

These leaders also improvised after realizing inaccurate data may impact their ability to bounce back faster. As one superintendent shared, “We questioned the data’s accuracy based on uncertain and traumatic conditions. Rather than take two steps back and recollect data, we adjusted our timelines to better ensure the data was accurately measuring what we needed for the future.”

This flexibility and adaptability also created more time to focus on group health. One leader pointed to her resiliency as an out-growth of her adaptability and flexibility. “Leaning on my incredibly supportive school board and staff, I weaved my way through the myriad of new experiences and unexpected shifts,” she said. “It required us to be flexible and focus on growth over time. This lowered our stress levels and reminded me of the impact of flexibility on our health if we are to be resilient under constant change.” 

Joel Aune

»Lesson 3: Lead for adaptive communication.

As the world sequestered at home with no ability to communicate in person, the power of clarity and simplicity made a marked difference.

Entry plans can require considerable amounts of interaction with individuals and small groups. It can require surveys, interviews and analysis of spoken and unspoken words.

Distance created by lack of in-person connection meant adapting communication. Superintendents practiced using new technology and strategies for messaging. Alongside their teams, they simplified messages and delivery, while increasing persuasion skills.

“I quickly learned how we communicated helped establish better relationships,” a rural superintendent said. “People were angry at me. That changed the more we communicated, how and who communicated. I learned to remain present and available, listen and watch for unspoken words, stay on message, collect feedback and be consistent. Once I did that, they loosened up and began to trust me.”

For another rural superintendent, tailored communication efforts led to successful passage of a levy. “We set up a roadmap for the first four months and sent a newsletter to the community — the first one in over 10 years,” he said. “We began the development of a strategic plan by collecting voice — one hasn’t been done in over 15 years. With over 30 stakeholders involved, we established weekly and quarterly communication methods like Supe Scoop (a newsletter), weekly reports, visibility. Ultimately, we passed our capital levy with 57.7 percent.”

»Lesson 4: Lead for mission and vision.

Remaining mission-driven strengthened community relationships and belief in one another.

As community dissent over COVID‑19 mitigation mounted, right versus right dilemmas created leadership quagmires. The art of identifying tensions from problems while determining whose needs were being served became the new normal.

Some of these tensions and problems included public priorities of health and safety at the local, state and federal levels, individual values, democratic values of schooling, loss of learning, and social justice and racial equity.

Familiar to the community, trusted teams shielded impact by keeping local school-age children central to the work. Using collective missions, superintendents made strategic chess-like decisions. Staying focused, they buffered potential pitfalls by outside forces.

This meant closely watching and listening to learn for the superintendent of a large urban school district. “Learn the right amount of communication based on community need,” he said. “Take a stance based on the right thing and not the popular vote and stick to it. Learn to watch closely, listen and adjust leadership.”

For the superintendent of a small rural school district, this meant navigating contentious guidance. “You might need to navigate around the red tape that takes away from staff and students,” he said. “Use your leadership skills to make decisions appropriate for your community and long-term planning.”

»Lesson 5: Lead for reconciliation and reintegration.

Building bridges of commonalities while growing and embracing uniqueness drowns shame and elevates love.

The new superintendents elevated hope during divisive times. “This has been the most difficult year as an educator brought about by the uncertainty and political divide in this nation,” he said. “School communities need local, regional and national leaders who strive to practice as moderates within the political realm.”

For another first-year superintendent, hope represented opportunity. “Beyond the pandemic, my community will still be here, and our kids will still need us. In learning from my new community, they reminded me that we must lead with hope,” he said.

As the superintendents finish their first year, these experiences highlight building bridges toward future reconciliation and reintegration of school and community. These bridges represent new voices, which represent belonging in our communities. When people are seen, heard and embraced, we can more successfully unite and leverage resources toward our common mission to educate children.

JAMES CRAWFORD, who’s worked in central-office and school administration in Washington state, has collaborated with the Washington Association of School Administrators on guidance for new superintendents’ entry plans during COVID-19. JOEL AUNE is executive director of the Washington Association of School Administrators in Tumwater, Wash.