Georgia Public School Superintendency: An Exploration of the Profession

During the study, the researcher investigated the overall characteristics of the Georgia public school superintendency. The school superintendent has many functions, but all of these functions are to achieve one primary goal: the best possible educational environment for all children. Demands that are now being placed on school superintendents require them to create conditions in which all students can increase achievement, while creating these conditions with fewer and fewer resources. The superintendent constantly seeks consensus between the board, staff, and the community to make the best educational decisions for all students. The superintendent is a leader in the true sense, for he/she must always bring out the best in all stakeholders of the school community. A descriptive research study was developed to gather data from all 180 Georgia school superintendents. From those surveyed, 86 responded to the survey. The researcher addressed superintendent perceptions regarding school board/superintendent relations, challenges facing the school superintendents, and the school superintendents\u27 level of satisfaction with their careers. The researcher gathered both qualitative and quantitative data. The results from this study clearly showed that school superintendents have a strong understanding of their relations with school board members, challenges in the superintendency, and their levels of career satisfaction. Superintendents responded positively regarding their relations with school board members. Of the challenges identified by school superintendents, finance and state/federal mandates proved to be the greatest problems. Superintendents reported moderate to considerable stress in the school superintendency. Despite the challenges and stress, superintendents indicated achievement of career satisfatcion as school superintendents. The researcher\u27s findings provided data that was not available for the state of Georgia and strenghtened data from previously national studies on the school superintendency