The role of nontraditional public school administrators in Michigan
Abstract
Over the last 10 years, there has been an increasing number of superintendents from other fields, such as business, finance, law and the military, hired by boards of education in mostly large urban school districts that suffer from low student achievement. However, the employment of a nontraditional administrator in a public school district is not limited to the superintendent’s position. Since Michigan is one of only two states that does not require administrator certification, the state has made it easier for nontraditional candidates to find employment in public school districts as superintendents, assistant superintendents, principals and directors. The purpose of this descriptive study was to identify and survey nontraditional administrators in Michigan and describe the challenges that impact their job performance and effectiveness. Since the elimination of administrator certification in Michigan in 1996, there is a general lack of data available on nontraditional administrators and their certification. Twenty-five nontraditional administrators were identified and asked to complete a questionnaire. Subsequently, eleven of these subjects volunteered to participate in a follow-up telephone survey. The data from both of these surveys were collected and analyzed. Of the respondents, almost 60% held the position of superintendent and almost 70% of the subjects began their careers in a business-related field. Fifty-nine percent of these subjects did not possess Michigan administrator certification. In general, school boards hire nontraditional administrators because of the skills that these administrators have acquired in their previous positions and to fill a need that is lacking in their districts. Most nontraditional administrators felt that their backgrounds in other fields prepared them to perform the job requirements of their current positions. An overwhelming majority of the nontraditional administrators had a high level of job satisfaction and almost all wanted to continue in their present positions. Given the shortage of school superintendents and other school administrators in Michigan and the increasing number of annual retirements, this is encouraging news to all candidates who aspire to become school administrators as well as to school boards who might be looking for a superintendent with specialized skills to lead their district.
Degree
Ph.D.
Advisors
Hirth, Purdue University.
Subject Area
School administration
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