Letters.

Mid-Career Growth

Your November 2001 edition was very enlightening to this mid-career superintendent.

For openers, I found Jay Mathews' article ("Mid-Career Learning") inspiring and informative. Superintendents should never ignore their own needs for professional growth.

Additionally, as an adjunct professor of educational administration at Tarleton State University, I found Joseph Murphy's article ("The Changing Face of Leadership Preparation") to be ripe with topics for discussion that I can use in my principalship and superintendency classes.

Lastly, because my wife is also a superintendent in a neighboring school district, I found Marilyn Tallerico and Suzanne Tingley's article ("The Leadership Mismatch: An Alternative View") about removing barriers for women timely as well.

You've got a great journal that serves a great purpose!

DARRELL G. FLOYD

Superintendent

Stephensville Independent School District,

Stephensville, Texas

Needed: Experienced Voices

As I perused the November issue, I was struck by the number of feature articles written by university faculty. Rarely have I found professors have anything tempered by experience to say that is helpful to practicing school administrators.

I am a retired school administrator with 20 years of service as a superintendent. Upon retirement, I headed to a "great" research university for a stint as an adjunct associate professor of educational administration and director of a school study council. I had many new colleagues, not only at my own university but across the country. I was appalled at the lack of any school administration experience among many full-time faculty, who soon after earning their doctorates in educational administration became responsible for training principals, superintendents and school business administrators.

These also are the folks who are being published in a journal purportedly aimed at helping administrators succeed in their jobs. While their research findings may be interesting, hardly are they seminal.

I realize superintendents have precious little time to write articles for professional publications. Admittedly, I wrote little during my 40-plus years in the business because I was not driven to accumulating publication points to obtain tenure but by the demands of being a principal and superintendent. We really need to read more articles from those who have experienced what their colleagues have experienced, not theoretical treatises from untried amateurs.

More recent issues of The School Administrator have contained more balance. I commend the practicing administrators who take the time to contribute as they add an experience-based perspective to making schools work.

OSCAR W. KNADE JR.

Williamsport, Pa.

Stories Worth Recounting

I wanted to tell you how much I appreciated George Manthey's guest column ("Telling Stories on the Recruiting Trail") in the October 2001 issue.

Manthey's stories are wonderful reminders of the ways educators make big differences in the lives of those with whom they interact.

DENNIS SPARKS

Executive Director

National Staff Development Council

Ann Arbor, Mich.

Cheers to Houston

I'm writing simply to cheer on Paul Houston for his excellent Executive Perspective columns.

My note is prompted by a couple of his recent editorials, which I happened across on the AASA Web site. Those two are "When Bad Things Happen to Good Ideas" and "The Public's Right to Gnaw." He is dead-on in both pieces.

Once upon a time, when I was editor-in-chief of Phi Delta Kappan, I would have been tickled to have published either of those editorials on our Editor's Page.

Tell him to keep swinging and by all means to keep up his fabulous work.

ROBERT W. COLE

Louisville, Ky.

Using Senior Citizens

As a retired superintendent, I'd like to thank Kate Stetzner for her contribution to the Focus section ("Intergenerational Mentoring: Senior Volunteers in Schools") in October.

As chair of the service to youth committee in our local Rotary club, I recently invited elementary principals to join us in a "sponsored school" program in which we hope to promote their use of our senior members as volunteers in their buildings.

I'm sure Stetzner would be a source of great suggestions to help us start such a program.

JAMES E. HAGERTY

Melbourne, Fla.

Don't Streak!

The October 2001 installment of Leadership Lite carried an item titled "A Streak Performer." While I congratulate the superintendent who has attended 324 consecutive school board meetings and plans to continue to do so in retirement, I would offer one piece of advice: Stay away.

This advice is based on my own experiences of serving in a district for 20 years and continuing to live locally after leaving office.

The former superintendent should avoid attending board meetings, at least at first. The new superintendent needs to lead the school board without the immediate office-holder sitting in the audience. In addition, this will assist the new superintendent to develop a leadership style in as nonthreatening an environment as possible.

Having a successful predecessor watch over the proceedings only adds to the stress the new superintendent will likely feel. To the former district leader, I would suggest you put some time and distance between yourself and board meetings as, No. 1, you deserve it and, No. 2, your successor will be most appreciative as he or she fills your shoes and carries forward with your legacy.

D. GIL KETTELHUT

Chief Administrator

Educational Service Unit 3

Omaha, Neb.