The Importance of Choosing the Right Superintendent

We need a new superintendent next year....but how much difference does it actually make? A former superintendent notes recent research at Superintendents and Test Scores | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice

Here is what the researchers found:

1. School district superintendent is largely a short-term job. The typical superintendent has been in the job for three to four years.
2. Student achievement does not improve with longevity of superintendent service within their districts.
3. Hiring a new superintendent is not associated with higher student achievement.
4. Superintendents account for a small fraction of a percent (0.3 percent) of student differences in achievement. This effect, while statistically significant, is orders of magnitude smaller than that associated with any other major component of the education system, including: measured and unmeasured student characteristics; teachers; schools; and districts.
5. Individual superintendents who have an exceptional impact on student achievement cannot be reliably identified.

Results, of course, are from only one study and must be handled with care. The familiar cautions about the limits of the data and methodology are there. What is remarkable, however, is that the iron-clad belief that superintendents make a difference in student outcomes held by the American Association of School Administrators, school boards, and superintendents themselves has seldom undergone careful scrutiny.

Well, maybe

Standing desks in elementary school

I'm typing this at a standing desk...maybe schools should use them too. Standing desks are good for school-age children too : TreeHugger

The research was conducted at three central-Texas elementary schools, and 374 students from different grades participated in the study.

Students who used the standing desks were found to burn 15 percent more calories than those using traditional desks. Younger students were found to be more willing to stand than older ones.

Researcher Mark Benden told Fast Company that teachers also reported that students concentrated better when using standing desks. However this variable wasn’t measured by the study—but came from follow-up interviews.

It might be worth a try.