What is the average tenure of a school superintendent

Louis' eight superintendents between and , or Seattle's six over the course of 10 years. The Broad Center's research, however, shows that the average tenure is perhaps around twice as long as previously believed. The length of a person's tenure is a surface-level attribute of a deeper concern, however: a lack of consistent vision that breeds positive impact. On a base level, it's problematic if educators adjust to one leader's vision for the district if that person leaves just as plans are coming to fruition and someone with an altogether new vision replaces them.

In a perfect world, a visionary superintendent's replacement could step in and continue their work seamlessly — but of course, that's not how things typically work.

In situations where school boards and other decision makers need to see results, it's important that realistic timetables be provided and that they give initiatives a reasonable amount of time to flesh out rather than pulling the plug amid initial bumps in the road.

Simply put, positive change doesn't happen overnight. On a state level, it took over a decade for education reforms in the state of Massachusetts to produce top-ranking students. If a superintendent's plan shows promise based on evidence and best practices from similar initiatives in other districts, it may be worthwhile to give it more time to pan out than abandoning it in favor of a new direction before it can fully take root.

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Commitments to more equitable gifted programs are changing mindsets, identification practices and services, but teacher training remains challenging.

Topics covered: K policy, classroom technology, school systems, personalized learning, equity, and much more. Search x. An article from. Leaders to Learn From. Current Issue. Special Reports. EdWeek Research Center. EdWeek Top School Jobs. EdWeek Market Brief. Menu Search. Sign In Subscribe. Reset Search. By Denisa R. Superville — May 08, 6 min read. Share article Remove Save to favorites Save to favorites.

Here are some highlights:. Denisa R. Follow Unfollow. Assistant Editor , Education Week. Superville is an assistant editor at Education Week who focuses on principals and school leadership.

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Philadelphia Tennessee National. How I Teach First Person. How long does a big-city superintendent last? Longer than you might think. He led Tennessee's largest district since Ruma Kumar The statistic comes up nearly every time a big name in education steps down: the average big-city school superintendent only lasts three years in the job.

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