Two perspectives on learning and leadership

[Jennifer Lubke]

Cross-posted at ThinkTime

Our school system is undertaking a search for a new superintendent. Part of that process includes drafting a job description as well as selecting a head-hunting firm.

A 14-page draft of the job criteria is available to the public. Recently I took this text and created a tag cloud. In a previous entry, I posted the tag cloud as well as a short explanation of how I generated it.

Generally speaking, I'm interested in understanding how we might interpret tag clouds and use them as visual summaries. After reading the superintendent job specs, I was struck by how much it was a reflection of our community -- our issues and assets, our values and our priorities -- as it was a description of an ideal instructional leader. For that reason, I thought it would make a cool visualization.

But how to interpret it?

Recently at the 21st Century Collaborative blog, Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach presented an interesting framework. I invite you to check out her post about "tactical" versus "strategic" perspectives and then take a second look at Knox County's approach. What are we seeking, stability or change? Where is our focus, inward or outward? What do we value, institutions or people?

What do you think?

[Pamela Treacy]

There will be a meeting to select search firm on Sept. 24, at 5:00 p.m. in the first floor
boardroom of the Andrew Johnson Building located
at 912 South Gay St. I hope someone can attend and report back to School Matters. Perhaps a group of parents can request a meeting with the committee to talk about the job description. I thought I heard they planned some community meetings. The problem with most of these meetings is that they are information flowing in one direction. Either KCS telling us what is happening or the community venting back at KCS (zoning meetings). Instead we need a productive work session that gets dialogue moving in a two way direction. One of our dreams for this site is to get people not only talking about issues/concerns but to get them involved in the decision making process. Any takers???

[Jennifer Lubke]

You ask a good question about the previous search process. Would that have been around 1998? Does anyone out there have some historical perspective?

[Cathy McCaughan]

Just looking at the word cloud summary, I don't see multi-cultural, vision, progress, environment, innovation, technology, communication, global, future or University.

I would like to know how this search criteria differs from the search for the previous Superintendent.