Before Day
I
of his new superintendency, the
author launched a systematic plan for listening
to a wide array of perspectives while infusing
a new spirit of community engagement
BY JOSHUA P. STARR
A
leadership transition can be an exciting time,
full of hope and possibilities. But it also can
be a period of
anxiety and
disruption. These
feelings
often are amplified when a new
superintendent is hired because there is so much
passion attached to education and so many constitu
encies to serve.
For parents, nothing is more important than the
education of their children, and they want to make
sure a new leader is going to attend to the needs
of their kids. Teachers and school-based staff; for
the most part, are passionate and mission-driven,
so they want to know where the new leader will
take the organization. Principals and central-office
administrators want to hear about new programs
or practices that are coming and worry the new
superintendent is going to come to town and start
“cleaning house:’
And then there are the school board members,
employee associations, local and state political lead
ers, businesses, nonprofit organizations and others,
all of whom have specific interests they want to
promote.
Executing a Transition
With all of these competing demands
waiting for
the attention of a new superintendent, it’s important
to draw up and execute a transition and entry plan
before your first day. While each superintendent faces
a different set of circumstances when starting a new
job, the need for an entry plan is universal, regardless
of the size or location of your school district.
In April
2011, I
was hired as the superintendent of
Montgomery County Public Schools, which is located
just outside ofWashington, D.C. With
151,000
stu
dents, it is the nation’s 17th-largest, and as such
NOVEMBER 2013 SCHOOL ADMINISTRATOR
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