A strong superintendent is critical to the success of an entire school district, and this exciting new resource details the issues surrounding the state policies that appoint superintendents.A strong superintendent is critical to the success of an entire school district, and this exciting new resource details the issues surrounding the state policies that appoint superintendents. Bjork and Kowalski have assembled a dozen contributors in this coherent guide that examines critical aspects of professional preparation, licensing and continuing development and the evolution of the role of the superintendent. If, as the editors state, a primary objective of the book is to enlighten decisions that affect the preparation and licensing of school superintendents, that goal is realized and exceeded. Preface About the Editors About the Contributors 1. Evolution of the School District Superintendent Position by Theodore J. Kowalski 2. Characteristics of American School Superintendents by Lars G. Bj?rk, Thomas E. Glass, and C. Cryss Brunner 3. National Education Reform Reports: Implications for Professional Preparation and Development by Lars G. Bj?rk, Theodore J. Kowalski, and Michelle D. Young 4. Learning Theory and Research: A Framework for Changing Superintendent Preparation and Development by Lars G. Bj?rk, Theodore J. Kowalski, and Tricia Browne-Ferrigno
 5. The Superintendent as Instructional Leader: Current Practice, Future Conceptualizations, and Implications for Preparation by George J. Petersen and Bruce G. Barnett 6. Superintendent as Organizational Manager by Tricia Browne-Ferrigno and Thomas E. Glass 7. Superintendent as Educational Statesman and Political Strategist by Lars G. Bj?rk and D. Keith Gurley 8. Reconceptualizing the Superintendency: Superintendents as Applied Social Scientists and Social Activists by Bonnie C. Fusal“„