An Equity-Focused and Stakeholder-Inclusive Roadmap for Superintendents' Entry Plans

Abstract

Bellwether, a national non-profit organization, develops equitable education systems and lifelong opportunities for marginalized youth. Bellwether aims to support district superintendents as a new market segment through equitable stakeholder listening tours and 100-day entry planning. Due to the impacts of post-pandemic and political polarization on superintendent turnover and the importance of consistent leadership to carry out district goals, this support is an urgent need. The primary project question was: What support elements are necessary for newly appointed superintendents to ensure the inclusion of stakeholder voice within 100-day entry plans in alignment with Bellwether’s mission and organizational capacity? A mixed-methods and sequential project design included two Bellwether focus groups, a document review and analysis, and interviews with Bellwether’s support teams and district superintendents. Data triangulation occurred through a reflective alignment to the project's questions, conceptual framework, literature review, and emergent criteria from coded interview data. The improvement project’s key findings were: ● Bellwether’s affordances align with developing a consultancy model/marketing pitch to support superintendents’ entry. These affordances include experience supporting complex organizations, a strong foundation of methodological research and improvement implementation, application of equity commitments, education insider-consulting staff, and expertise utilizing district staff as a partner on project teams. ● Superintendents’ needs vary based on regional factors; however, the district’s size showed a more significant impact on need, particularly available research and development/communication departments. Additional attributes that lead to a variation of need included superintendent identities (e.g., district insider/outsider), individual background experiences and skills, and access to support networks. ● Investing in training costs to promote superintendent retention has a higher non-financial and financial return on investment when compared to the adverse effects of superintendent turnover. This return on investment is a critical lever for highlighting the value of training and support, a necessary aspect of receiving school board endorsement. ● The equitable inclusion of stakeholder voice into superintendents’ listening tours and 100-day entry plans occurs through the intentional incorporation of diversity, equity, and inclusion into the planning, implementation, and tools of the support. We recommend a 10-step roadmap for Bellwether’s development of a consultancy model and marketing pitch to support district partnerships.