Living on the Horns of Dilemmas
Superintendents, Politics, and Decision-Making
By (author) Peter R. Litchka, Walter Polka, Frank Calzi
Not available to order
Publication date:
30 July 2014Length of book:
144 pagesPublisher
Rowman & Littlefield PublishersISBN-13: 9781475800173
This book is based on the professional experiences and research findings of Drs. Litchka, Polka, and Calzi who possess a combined total professional experience of over 100 years as educators in the United States, including over 75 years as public school administrators and over 30 years as chief school officers. The authors have also spent a combined 30 plus years in researching and roles, responsibilities, and stresses of school district leadership. They are committed to appropriately preparing current and aspiring leaders to survive and thrive as superintendents.
The authors know the topic of school leadership very well from both the practical “lived experiences” to the various theoretical research conceptual frameworks. This book reflects actual stories collected via their most recent research associated with school district leadership, decision-making, politics, and “living on the horns of dilemmas.”
The authors know the topic of school leadership very well from both the practical “lived experiences” to the various theoretical research conceptual frameworks. This book reflects actual stories collected via their most recent research associated with school district leadership, decision-making, politics, and “living on the horns of dilemmas.”
According to the authors of Living on the Horns of Dilemmas, being a school district superintendent today requires the courage of a matador. Peter Litchka, Walter Polka and Frank Calzi, all professors in the field of education leadership, have compiled a series of case studies that examine problems faced by practicing superintendents in rural, suburban and urban school districts. The authors conclude each case study with a 'From the Arena' section, providing suggestions from researchers and other prominent individuals in the education field for how to handle the situation in question. They also reflect on the dilemma presented in each chapter with a series of questions for consideration, such as whether student test scores and student attendance should be part of teacher evaluation. Issues that will apply to new and aspiring superintendents are included, such as an essay on leadership versus management where they reference they include wisdom from American scholar Warren Bennis; 'Underperforming organizations are usually over managed and under-led.' When considering the difference between problems and predicaments, the authors note systemic predicaments that are unique to district organizations and therefore difficult to solve at the local level. Ultimately, the reader is reminded that the district administrator cannot do it all.