Volume 4 - Issue 1 - DBU Journal of K-12 Educational Research - Page 8

6 ahead and prepare for eventual change at the top is paramount (Anderson, 2006; Balch & Adamson, 2018; Plattner, Rafferty, & Soholt, 2012). The role of school superintendent has expanded over time and quality leadership in this field is difficult to find (Anderson, 2006; Bradley, 2016; Kowalski, 2005, 2006). Superintendent turnover is high across all school models (Campbell, 2010; Carlson, 1961; Glass, 2000; Glass & Björk, 2003; Kowalski, 2006). At its very best, succession planning can provide an organization with a blueprint for sustainability that will help it thrive far into the foreseeable future (Wolfred, 2008). Research Design The current study was a qualitative, grounded theory. The primary tool used for collection of research data was semi-structured interview questions used to gather narrative data, which could be analyzed for themes and patterns. Bradley (2016) conducted a similar study with the purpose of understanding how public school districts in the state of Texas plan for their next superintendent. The researcher of the current study modified Bradley’s interview questions to explore the perceptions of North Texas charter superintendent participants as seen in Table 1. Modified interview questions were developed with the intent of exploring the charter superintendents’ perceptions about their role in superintendent succession planning at their charter school system. The researcher identified and selected 13 public charter school networks willing to participate. Charter superintendents from each of the 13 charter networks were interviewed. The transcripts of these interviews along with information obtained from each participant school, the Texas Charter School Association, and the Texas Education Agency websites provided the data for the current study. The data was analyzed using NVivo 12 by coding the responses into themes. An analysis of the data revealed that there were two types of superintendent succession planning used by charter school networks, which are classified as complete and incomplete plans. Table 1 Research and Interview Questions Alignment Treatise Research Questions Superintendent Interview Questions Research Question 1 (RQ1) What role do charter superintendents play in selecting their successors? 1. What discussions, if any, have you had with the school board concerning succession planning? 2. What opinions do you have regarding succession planning? 3. To what level are you responsible for your successor? Research Question 2 (RQ2) What are current charter superintendents doing to prepare for their successors? 4. What has been your experience with succession planning in the public charter school system? 5. Who was the most influential person in leading you to the superintendency and how did he or she prepare you for the role? 6. What advice would you give to an incoming superintendent regarding succession planning? Research Question 3 (RQ3) What type of policies or plans are in place related to superintendent succession in charter schools? 7. Tell me about the process utilized by the school board in selecting you. 8. What, if anything, about that process could have been better? 9. Does this charter district currently have a succession plan for the superintendent or any other position? The researcher identified and selected 13 public charter school networks willing Table 1. Research and Interview Question Alignment Brent Wilson, EdD