Over the past few years, Superintendent
Christopher MeGinley has had to deal with a
bitter desegregation lawsuit regarding which
of two high schools in Lower Merion African-
American students would be assigned to
attend. He’s also dealing with an embarrassing
disclosure that district-provided laptops were
photographing students in their bedrooms, bal
ancing a budget squeezed by dramatic increases
in state pension costs and a contentious dispute
about funding for state-authorized cyber char
ter schools.
Connected Challenges
The accompanying “spider map” below illus
trates the complexity found in the superintend
ent’s world.
The spider map is meant to capture the
range of leadership challenges superintendents
face in
2013.
We don’t claim that
it’s
complete;
any reader could probably add elements from
her or his own experience.
Nor do we feel a
need to define the items on the map; they are
sufficiently self-explanatory
What struck us in constructing the map is how
Policy & Politics
Federal/state/local!
school/foundations
Board/executive/employee!
community/parent
Contracts
—
Employees; goods and services
Incentives (money, permission,
working conditions)
Standards and assessments
Market
Choice, charters,
privatization, competition
Technology
Education as a commoditc Market
instructionai technology;
segmentation
—
independent,
magnet,
Networked learning
home schooling, custodial
Management information
Goals, objectives, accountability
systems and data proliferation
Revenues linked to performance
Communications and
Entrepreneurship
social
media
7flL\
/
Context
/
Demography and sociology
(
Economics
—
wealth distribution
I
and income disparity
Resources provided for
I
public education
A
Out of school learning
PZingwit
ZrshiZE1
/
Defining mission,
/
values, vision
Stability/transitions
Diffuse power; symbolic role
Networks and partnerships
A
Brand management
/
24
SCHOOL ADMINISTRATOR SEPTEMBER 2013
