Journal of K-12 Educational Research 57 CHARACTERISTICS OF TEXAS SUPERINTENDENTSWITH LONGEVITY OF FIVE OR MORE YEARS ON THE JOB Michael Hill, EdD Journal of K-12 Educational Research 2021, VOL. 5, ISSUE 1 www.dbu.edu/doctoral/edd Introduction The State of Texas currently has 1,031 public school districts with 9,317 public schools that serve over five million students (Meador, 2019). A school superintendent leads each of the 1,031 public school districts. O’Rourke (2010) wrote that there are over 300,000 public school teachers across the state, all of whom are indirectly supervised by the superintendent. The ever-changing roles of school district leaders, the high rate of superintendent change, and the impact on school district leadership is a cause for research. The role of these superintendents in the overall successful operations and management of the school districts is critical. The superintendent is seen as the leader of the school district, as well as a leader in the community. There is always a need to measure, assess, and promote accountability for school districts and effective superintendent leadership is paramount to meeting that need and providing transparency to the public. The purpose of the current study was to identify the characteristics of Texas public school superintendents who have been in their position for at least 5 years and make that information available to school boards as they consider whom to hire as their superintendent, and individuals who seek to obtain the position of Texas school superintendent. The daily challenges of the school district leader may contribute to the great number of superintendents leaving the field within 3.5 years of landing the coveted superintendent job. The rate of turnover in the superintendent role has been described as historically high, leading some superintendents to even question the future of the position. The current study provided current and future practitioners, school boards, and researchers a deeper understanding of the characteristics of superintendents who have been able to withstand the challenges associated with the position and remain in their position longer than the average 3.5 years. There was one overarching research question for the current study: What are the perceived leadership characteristics of Texas school superintendents who have job longevity as defined by 5 or more years? The current study was designed as a qualitative study, inquiring information from sitting Texas school superintendents who have been able to remain in their job successfully beyond the state average of 3.5 years. The seven participants who participated in a recorded interview are all current superintendents in the state of Texas and have served as a superintendent for at least 6 years. The current study resulted in the recognition of three overarching themes associated with challenges to superintendent longevity. Those themes are a) challenges and threats to the superintendency; b) leadership characteristics for superintendent longevity; and c) other critical practices. These findings were consistent with prior research which indicated that the superintendent position is a very complex job, filled with public scrutiny, politics, and unrealistic expectations. The research revealed that there are a large number of requisite skills necessary and essential for a superintendent. Those requisite skills include knowledge and expertise in building trust and
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