Supporting Effective Teaching in Tennessee: Executive Summary | Page 23

Leadership
To this end, three new programs have been launched in the
past few years. To develop a pipeline of strong superintendents,
TOSS, the Tennessee School Boards Association, and the
Niswonger Foundation partnered together in 2007 to create
the Prospective Superintendents Academy. The Academy
provides sixteen training sessions for individuals from a variety
of professions who are interested in potentially becoming
superintendents. The sessions include numerous hands-on
projects and conclude with each candidate developing a portfolio
illustrating their skills.31 Although only in
its third year and thus still exploring ways
to best deliver its training, the Academy
is a great first step in creating a pipeline of
strong superintendent candidates.
T h ere h a s b ee n b roa d

Superintendents and principals are critical to the success of their
districts and schools. As with teachers, research has shown it is
critical to have a comprehensive strategy for recruiting, training,
developing, evaluating, and compensating both superintendents
and principals. Although Tennessee has several building blocks
in place for creating these comprehensive systems, including
having just approved one of the highest-quality principal
development policies in the country, Tennessee has a long way
to go in making comprehensive systems of superintendent and
principal development a reality.

Superintendents
Superintendents’ most important tasks
are casting a vision for their district,
aligning resources behind that vision, and
recruiting strong principals, teachers, and
central office staff who can execute that
vision. Since running a school system
is very different from any other job in a
school district, new superintendents need
a range of supports. Even experienced
superintendents often find formal
supports useful when they include
practical advice about how to deal with
common challenges, such as identifying
ways to effectively implement statewide
policies and programs.

To provide sustained professional
development for new superintendents,
TOSS and AIMS are currently in
s u peri n te n d e n ts t h at
discussions about creating a mentoring
program for new superintendents,
a m ore co m pre h e n sive
where an existing superintendent would
provide one-on-one mentoring to each
syste m o f s u pports
new superintendent in the state. As
part of the program, mentors would
visit their mentee’s district multiple
is n ee d e d.
times. TOSS and AIMS are hoping
to launch this mentor program in Fall
2009. Finally, TOSS and the Niswonger
Foundation are partnering to develop
online professional development courses for both new and
Historically, superintendents have had two primary supports.
experienced superintendents. These courses are just in the initial
First, the Tennessee Department of Education, the Tennessee
development phases, and all sides acknowledge much work
Organization of School Superintendents (TOSS), and the
remains to ensuring the courses deliver content superintendents
Association of Independent and Municipal Schools (AIMS)
find most helpful.
host a series of conferences for superintendents throughout
the year.iii These multi-day conferences are used to inform
Evaluation and compensation mechanisms for superintendents
superintendents about new state policies or legislative
are typically negotiated by each individual school district, with
initiatives and provide various professional development
many superintendents’ contracts including the possibility of
opportunities. Second, every superintendent in the state
bonuses if the district meets certain performance targets.
is part of a regional superintendent study council, which
meets regularly and gives superintendents the opportunity
to share best practices and learn from other superintendents
Principals
in their region. Although these supports are helpful, there
has been broad recognition among superintendents that a
Strong principals are critical to developing and retaining highly
more comprehensive system of supports is needed, especially
effective teachers and implementing school-based reform
for new superintendents and superintendents working to
strategies. Recent research has concluded that principals
improve their skills in certain areas.
need to not only be strong operational managers but also
strong “instructional leaders,” who can help develop the skills
of teachers in their building. Over the past two years, there
iii TOSS is the statewide organization for all 136 superintendents in Tennessee.
has been recognition among policymakers in Tennessee that
AIMS is an additional association for the 41 superintendents serving in
principals are not receiving the type of training and professional
municipal or special school districts.

22

reco g n itio n a m o n g

T h e S t a t e o f E d u c a t i o n i n T e n n e ss e e