Well, really it's what you make of it--just like anything else. What are we here for anyway? Actually, if you really think about it, the district superintendent is the central key figure and role model for education in the local community. She/he not only plays a vital role in making decisions about policy, budgets, and ad infinitum but makes major decisions regarding the instructional and philosophical goals of a school community as well. And, when you get right down to it...Stop here! Do you know what I just said as I've bared my lonely, dismal superintendent's soul? You wouldn't know if you couldn't read and understand what you're reading right this minute, would you? And what's more--read on--you wouldn't find out the real meaning of the superintendency and the joys that lie therein.
We all learn from experience most of the time. You don't ever want to let yourself be burned twice. That really hurts. Anyway, when I was a principal, I knew I made a difference. I read to kids, taught reading groups, instituted innovative reading practices, surrounded kids with books, and literally was able to turn communities on to reading. As I reflect though, it wasn't just me. In the communities where I was most successful, it was that supposedly lonely person at the top--the superintendent. But then those superintendents were directly involved in reading and the total K-12 instructional process.
However, I soon discovered that this instructional process breaks down during the middle grades years. Scores fall, we purchase fewer books and materials for classroom libraries, students attitudes toward reading drop while time watching TV increases, teachers--in many cases--aren't reading as much to children or reading themselves, we provide less help for remediation, and reading periods in the middle schools go by the wayside. I didn't catch on to all of this until I reflected on many years of my own observations and experiences in middle schools. About that time, lucky for me, some recent research came to my attention that had been completed on middle schools and high schools in Indiana. The conclusions I had made were justified. It was then that I finally woke up. This occurred during my first year as a superintendent. I was enveloped in the world of buses, budgets, and buildings and nearly forgot what was going on out there in the real world of that place called school. All kinds of great reading projects were happening in the elementary schools, but not so above the fifth grade. This revelation prompted me to change my course and do a research project regarding superintendents and middle grades reading. The joys of the superintendency would soon unfold as I found a new challenge.
My research regarding the superintendent's role in developing a community of readers in Indiana's middle grades schools indicated that superintendents do indeed feel that reading is important. Further, the number of college reading courses completed by superintendents made a significant difference in how superintendents regarded the importance of reading in their corporation and their role in the process, as well as the practices being employed in the school corporation regarding reading.
An even more interesting fact was that superintendents commonly held the perception that providing school libraries that attract students and teachers was a vital factor related to reading, but we don't seem to directly connect library book collections with good school libraries or providing daily time for students to become voluntary readers. Yet, research consistently indicates a high correlation between higher achievement scores on the one hand and student access to current and useful trade books and ample time for students to become voluntary readers on the other. The table below shows the rest of the story. It depicts how Indiana superintendents feel about the importance of the ten issues listed, what we believe are reasonable practices/activities to employ, and how we perceive our role (as an active participant or decision-maker) in our school districts.
Having been a superintendent for almost four years now, I would say to all principals, teachers, and librarians that your superintendent can be a tremendous help to you in promoting reading in your school. The influence of the superintendent as a role model has made the big difference for me. Yes, being a superintendent can be a lonely job. Many superintendents would welcome the chance to be invited to read to boys and girls, talk to librarians and children about choosing new library books, meet with librarians, visit reading classes, and discuss books with students and talk with them about what they're reading.
You take that first step. Talk to your superintendent and let him/her know how much you care and how important it is that he/she share your goals and become directly involved. You may be pleasantly surprised because--guess what--we superintendents do really know we're here for children. We just need a "nudge" by some caring principal, teacher, or librarian once in a while. That little "nudge" could rekindle the flame and get your superintendent fired up on reading. When she/he cares, others start caring too. Pretty soon the whole atmosphere is lit up, and reading once more comes to fore. Get the picture? Bet your superintendent will too, and he/she won't have that lonely feeling anymore--the joy of the job takes over that spot. Believe me, I know--I've been there.
Rank of Superintendents' Perceptions Regarding Middle Grades Reading Issues
1 = Highest priority 10 = Lowest priority
- Student access to current and useful trade books
Importance - 9 Practices - 9 Role - 7- Teachers as role models
Importance - 4 Practices - 7 Role - 5- Appropriate professional development for staff
Importance - 8 Practices - 6 Role - 4- Daily time for students to become proficient readers
Importance -7 Practices - 8 Role - 6- Daily time for students to become voluntary readers
Importance - 10 Practices - 10 Role - 9- Special assistance for students reading below grade level
Importance - 1 Practices - 3 Role - 2- Providing school libraries that attract students and teachers
Importance - 1 Practices - 4 Role - 1- Providing a close and useful relationship with the public library
Importance - 6 Practices - 1 Role - 10- Encouraging parents to support reading
Importance - 5 Practices - 5 Role - 8- Providing an environment where reading is encouraged and supported
Importance - 3 Practices - 2 Role - 3