Developing the Organizational Culture of the Central Office

Collaboration, Connectivity, and Coherence

Sally J. Zepeda, Mary Lynne Derrington, Philip D. Lanoue

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2020
• Print ISBN:
  9780367224776
• eBook ISBN:
  9781000174205
• Topic: Education
• Subtopic: Education General

Central office resources are one of the largest assets in making meaningful change in schools, and this important book guides aspiring district leaders to take up the challenge to transform their schools, while at the same time balancing their core responsibilities. This book helps readers rethink the impact of central office on system and school initiatives, understand and apply transformational thinking, and change strategies at the central office to develop new instructional designs, create new opportunities to prioritize human and fiscal resources, and establish new leadership approaches founded on systems review and change. Full of exemplars from the field, questions for discussion, and suggested readings, this valuable textbook is for use in educational leadership preparation programs.

Part I

The Foundations of Central Office Leadership

Part I, the first six chapters of the book, focuses attention on the foundations for understanding the district office potential. The differences among districts are discussed so that readers can situate the theories and examples in their own context. These differences of size, geographic location, and district office configuration might not be apparent to those whose educational experience has been in the same size or similar demographic (e.g., urban, rural, suburban). Consequently, the reader will develop familiarity with the various ways context and district leadership interact.

Part I also introduces important themes woven throughout the book. The first theme is that coherence, connectivity, and culture result from a clear vision and mission articulated in a strategic plan that drives beliefs and propels actions toward meeting long- and short-term goals. A second theme is that district relationships must be nurtured and developed to build trust and mutual accountability. A third theme is achieving the important goals of equity and social justice must be an intentional focus with concerted action among all district division leaders and the superintendent. These cross-cutting themes can lead to transformation, not merely change. As articulated in Part I, change is a factor in making progress in school improvement for all students. However, change alone will not result in transformation. Transformation is a major move from what is to what could be, it challenges traditional ideas, and often disrupts the status quo.

Each chapter opens with an Opening Memo from either a superintendent or division head to situate the content and to serve as an advanced organizer. Given the vast content presented in each chapter, an occasional pause entitled, Asking Ourselves, provides the opportunity to reflect and ponder ideas. Where appropriate, Notes from the Field written by renowned superintendents and district office leaders serve to amplify best practices and current thinking about the concepts, practices, or divisions discussed in the chapters. These leaders serve districts of many sizes and across geographic areas in the United States. Their advice, examples, and messages provide the needed link between theory and practice. Chapter Insights summarize the key ideas presented in each chapter, giving the reader the opportunity to think about the major concepts.

The adult learner has the opportunity to apply the chapter content by reading a scenario linked to the theories and ideas in the chapter in the section entitled From Theory to Practice. In addition, activities and questions follow for the instructor or professional developer to use in leading discussions and in assisting understanding of how theories might be applied in a school district. To extend thinking, Suggested Readings are provided. Lastly, recognizing that the professional development of the superintendent and district office leaders and those aspiring to these positions will require continuous learning beyond this book and formal education courses, pertinent National Organizations relevant to each chapter are listed along with a brief description and contact information.

Chapter 1

The Context for Leading Systems

In This Chapter …

• A Memo from the Board of Education President
• Introduction
• Context Matters … A Lot
• System Size
• Urban Districts and Schools
• Rural Districts and Schools
• Suburban Districts and Schools
• Key Demographics
• Chapter Insights
• From Theory to Practice
• Suggested Readings
• National Organizations
• References

A Memo from the Board of Education President

To:	Superintendent
From:	President, Board of Education
Re:	Learning the System

Overview

It is with great optimism and promise that you begin the journey as our incoming superintendent. Your experiences and understanding of complex organizations and how the uniqueness of school communities impact the leadership of systems will be instrumental for a successful and productive transition. Similar to all communities, ours has unique characteristics connected by a long history of supporting education and fully grasping its importance to the vibrancy of our community. As we discussed, understanding these systems will be instrumental to your success which is our success in leading the system and continuing the prominence and importance of education in our community.

Members of the school board are longtime residents of this community who can provide invaluable insights. These community insights will be beneficial as you develop your entry plan to understand the context for your leadership. With a well-developed plan, I believe that you can obtain valuable information as well as make great connections to our community before you begin the superintendency and in your first months once you assume the role as our superintendent.

Several possible topics for our discussion could include 1) demographics and how they have changed, 2) our rapid growth, 3) the change in government which now has a mayor and city council, 4) the similarities of neighboring communities, and the political dynamics that have shaped our community expansion.

I look forward to our conversations and mutual work. Please let me know if you have additional topics that will help you shape your entry plan and to better understand the community and the context for leading a system to improve.

Person Responsible

President, Board of Education and Superintendent

Introduction

In the United States, there were in 2019 approximately 16,921 public school districts, an estimated 99,154 traditional public schools, and 7,011 charter schools that enrolled approximately 56,772 million students (National Center for Educational Statistics, [NCES] 2019a) who were taught by approximately 3,168,115 teachers (National Education Association, 2019).

Each one of these public schools and their systems have a unique context predicated on size, demographics, and a host of other internal and external variables. This chapter examines system context. As a leader, the superintendent must understand the context of the school district, the communities it serves, and the characteristics of the student population. With this contextual understanding, clarity of programs, personnel, the budget, and the relationships to the vision, mission, and beliefs that connect to the strategic plan must be the focal point of efforts.

Context Matters … A Lot

The work of the superintendent and central office is framed within the context of a district and the diversity of the communities it serves. Learning the context of the system is important because the “contemporary superintendents’ work must focus on developing coherent, district-level management systems characterized by effective teamwork and expanded communication networks” (Björk, Browne-Ferrigno, & Kowalski, 2018, p. 180) as a way “to support the work of teachers and principals” (p. 184). In Chapter 3, The Pivotal Role of the Superintendent, is examined in the context of the work needed to lead school systems.

Learning the context of the system serves as a guidepost for the work of district leaders. It is a common practice for superintendents new to the system to develop a 90-day entry plan to learn about the district and its culture. The 90-day plan serves as a way for the superintendent to transition into the work of the district by hearing the voices of internal and external constituents. The entry plan gives solid footing about key areas in the district. The entering superintendent reviews historical documents and develops communication channels with the board of education, central office leaders, and the community including school-level personnel and external communities. As a starting point, the superintendent would, for example:

• Request key documents from division leaders to gain insights through an overview of current areas of responsibility, major initiatives underway with projected timelines, and completion progress on upcoming system responsibilities with pending deadlines.
• Review significant or potential problem areas and major decisions that will need to be made not only in the near future but also during the first year in the position.
• Create, administer, and analyze results from a district-wide environmental survey to gain a comprehensive picture of district culture.
• Establish key communication channels with internal and external stakeholders to engage in conversations with local businesses, city, faith-based leaders, etc.
• Become schooled on budget development, learn about financial projections, and other processes with the end goal of allocating resources for what the system needs to focus on student learning.
• Learn policies and governance structures to start the process of developing trusting, productive, transparent, and collaborative relationships with the board of education.
• Start to develop a culture of mutual accountability focusing on equitable outcomes—academic, developmental, and emotional—for all students in the system.
• Ensure strategic plan targets are at the forefront of all efforts.
• Study the history of collective bargaining, prior negotiations, and agreements with the union if applicable.

Through these processes and perhaps more, the superintendent reviews data to understand trends, develop and prioritize goals, and start the processes to establish relational trust with internal and external stakeholders.

However, sitting superintendents and district leaders must also keep examining the context of their systems as they change over time for a variety of reasons including, for example, shifts in student demographics (Grooms, 2019), attrition, retirements, a proliferation of new hires within the system (Ingersoll, Merrill, Stuckey, & Collins, 2018), and changing expectations based on state or federal legislation (Rigby, Corriell, & Kuhl, 2018). These changes shape the context and point to the necessity for the superintendent and central office leaders continuously to monitor changes and respond based on data, knowledge, and understanding of shifting needs and changing priorities. In Chapter 5, Central Office Transformation, the distinctions between change and transformation are made to support efforts needed to focus, mobilize, and situate leadership to forward the mission, vision, and strategic plan.

By examining the system context, leaders can better understand their current areas of responsibility, the major projects that are underway, and pending decisions that need to be made. By understanding the system context, clarity can be brought to goal...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Table of Contents
• Detailed Contents
• Preface
• Acknowledgements
• Part I: The Foundations of Central Office Leadership
• Part II: The Work, Roles, and Functions of the District Office Divisions
• Index