Navigating the Superintendency

Navigating the Superintendency
Lessons from the Field on Increasing Longevity and Success
 

Derrick D. Jordan & Dionne V. McLaughlin
Published March 2026

Navigating the Superintendency: Lessons from the Field on Increasing Longevity and Success addresses the increasing challenges of the superintendency amid heightened accountability and leadership instability.

Drawing on interviews with eighteen seasoned superintendents and leadership professionals, this book offers evidence-based lessons and strategies that promote success in the field. Designed for not only new and seasoned superintendents, professors and aspiring leaders in preparation programs will also find value from the insights and resources.

The authors share practical, research-informed guidance to enhance leadership effectiveness, support longevity, and strengthen service to students, staff, and communities.

 

About the Authors Table of Contents 91制片 Members Save

Derrick D. Jordan is currently Deputy State Superintendent for the Educator and Student Advancement Division at the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction and Clinical Associate Professor in the School of Education at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. With over 25 years of experience in the educational area, Dr. Jordan has also served as an assistant state superintendent, superintendent, clinical assistant professor, assistant superintendent, curriculum director, high school principal, assistant principal, and teacher. He has also co-authored a variety of peer-reviewed articles and book chapters devoted to educational leadership and serves on the editorial board for the Journal of Scholarship and Practice.

Dionne V. McLaughlin is an Associate Professor at North Carolina Central University. She is a British-born Black Jamaican American educator who is an experienced bilingual elementary and high school principal, former Lexington High School Associate Principal, and former METCO Director in Wellesley and Scituate, Massachusetts. She has a Master鈥檚 from the Harvard Graduate School of Education and a Doctorate from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Acknowledgments
Preface
Foreword
Chapter 1: Drinking from a Firehose
Chapter 2: It Is a People Business. It Always Has Been and Always Will Be.
Chapter 3: If You Don't Navigate Your School Board Successfully, They Won't Let You Last
Chapter 4: Reversing the Course: Leading High Achieving Districts Where Students of Color Are Successful
Chapter 5: It Did Not Get This Bad Overnight.
Chapter 6: Making Better Decisions: How Superintendents Resolve Complex Matters
Chapter 7: You've Got to Keep the Job to Do the Job
Appendix A: Superintendent Study Interview Questions
Appendix B: Potential Case Resolutions and Condsiderations
Resources
References
Glossary

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