Introduction

Abstract

The school district superintendent, as the chief executive officer of the board of education, plays a crucial role in the education of America’s schoolchildren. Concern about standards of educational performance has led practitioners and researchers to seek ways to improve the performance not only of students but also of educational personnel, including teachers, principals, and school district superintendents. This concern, coupled with the recent accountability movement, has spurred interest in the evaluation of school system personnel. While the evaluation of teachers has a substantial body of research literature associated with it to guide and inform practice, there is a lack of literature relating to administrator evaluation. This is particularly marked in the case of the evaluation of school district superintendents. Nevertheless, reflecting the growing interest in the performance of school district superintendents, there has been an increase over the past decade in the number of districts using formal superintendent evaluations (Robinson & Bickers, 1990). The purpose of this book is to provide a detailed synthesis of current thinking, research, and practice in superintendent performance evaluation as a basis for promoting improved practice and further research in this important area of educational evaluation.