School administration is more difficult today than at any time in our history. Whether addressing the needs of students, parents or staff at the building level, or facing the questions posed by the board of education, the media or the general public at the district level, administrators face constant calls for accountability.
Demands for administrative accountability have steadily increased since the publication of "A Nation at Risk" in 1983. The most recent trend has been to tie administrative evaluations to student performance, increasing stress among administrators at all levels. The cumulative effect of three decades of challenges to administrative authority has undermined the public's view of educational administrators as experts.
The author, a former Illinois school superintendent, examines the current state of public education, including the influence of private individuals and foundations, and alternative approaches to the educational delivery model and then highlights successful examples of public education. He concludes by considering input of current administrators and school board members and presents a strategy which educational administrators can employ to win back public confidence and support. Published by Rowman & Littlefield Education, 2014.
Hunt is associate professor emeritus of educational leadership at Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville. His career includes 34 years as a teacher, principal, superintendent, and other leadership, including Illinois superintendent positions in Whiteside District 115 (Belleville), Pleasant Plains District 8, and Antioch District 34.