This program provides superintendents opportunities to increase their understanding of their roles as the chief executive officers of school systems, to acquire information needed to successfully fulfill their responsibilities and to gain insights from experienced superintendents on successful practices of the superintendency.
The intent of the Mentoring Program is to provide support for each new superintendent during the first year in office to bridge the gap between previous experience and the expectations of the
superintendent’s office. Mentor superintendents are successful, experienced Florida Superintendents who have been specifically trained to be mentors. Mentors can be of assistance in many ways
such as providing an objective perspective, providing feedback and serving as a resource for effective best practices.
This program is designed to provide superintendents with the managerial and leadership information needed to successfully fulfill their responsibilities. The program includes training on the
following topics:
- Legal Aspects of Leading a Florida School District
- Economic Forces Impacting Education
- Employee Relations and Collective Bargaining
- Superintendents Leadership Role in Improving Student Achievement
- Core Concepts of Leadership
This program is a leadership development and performance compensation program that is comparable to chief executive officer development programs for corporate executive officers. The
program includes two phases. Phase I is the content-knowledge-skills phase which is a formalized training program that focuses on information and skill development necessary for highly
effective superintendents. Phase II is the competency acquisition phase in which each superintendent has a structured opportunity to apply the knowledge and skills acquired in Phase I
for the continuous improvement of the school district. Each superintendent engaged in Phase II designs and carries out Learning Projects to address the improvement needs of their district.
During Phase II the superintendent maintains a reflective thinking journal as he/she implements their Learning Projects.