Navigating the Superintendency

Derrick D. Jordan served as a school district superintendent for nearly a decade and now serves as Associate State Superintendent/Chief Operating Officer at the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction and Clinical Associate Professor at UNC-Chapel Hill. A published author and active contributor to national accreditation and editorial boards, he holds degrees from North Carolina Central University, East Carolina University, and UNC-CH, where he was elected by the graduate faculty as a Jackson Scholar. Dionne V. McLaughlin is an Associate Professor (tenured) at North Carolina Central University and a British-born Black Jamaican American educator with experience as a bilingual elementary and high school principal. She holds degrees from Harvard and UNC–Chapel Hill, is the author of two books on school leadership, and has presented at national conferences and in school districts across several states.

This is a must-read for current superintendents or anyone who one day would like to step into that seat. I love the fact that it highlights everything from establishing relationships with board members, to navigating employee issues, to managing a budget, to the day-to-day complex decision making that defines the superintendency. To use an analogy from my coaching days, this is the playbook you should follow.

• AcknowledgmentsPrefaceForeword Chapter 1: Drinking from a FirehoseChapter 2: It Is a People Business. It Always Has Been and Always Will Be. Chapter 3: If You Don’t Navigate Your School Board Successfully, They Won’t Let You Last Chapter 4: Reversing the Course: Leading High Achieving Districts Where Students of Color Are Successful Chapter 5: It Did Not Get This Bad Overnight. Chapter 6: Making Better Decisions: How Superintendents Resolve Complex Matters Chapter 7: You’ve Got to Keep the Job to Do the JobAppendix A: Superintendent Study Interview QuestionsAppendix B: Potential Case Resolutions and CondsiderationsResourcesReferencesGlossaryAbout the Authors