Superintendent turnover in select New Jersey public school districts: Modifying effects of proposed state changes to governance and control on local leadership

This study proposes to contribute a distinctive element in the research unique to the field of superintendent turnover studies. A sample population of high-achieving wealthy school districts in New Jersey was expected to yield data about superintendents\u27 commitment to school leadership as well as the moderating effects of state policy change on district leaders\u27 sense of efficacy that is exclusive to this study. The state of New Jersey was the focus of this project because it is understood to have among the highest student achievement rates in the nation; yet it is also a state that, within the past 5 years has had a steady turnover rate of superintendents and is predicted to have continued turnover within the next 2 years. Whereas past studies have focused on normative descriptions of board and superintendent relationship as the primary variable in superintendent tenure, this mixed-methods descriptive study may provide further explanations of sociopolitical structures that impact leadership tenure, even under conditions of strong school performance