Accessing the Superintendency: The Unwritten Rules

Pursuing and obtaining a superintendency is more complicated than any other educational employment process. Research-based and very practical, this insiders' view shows how to overcome the invisible selection criteria, the unwritten rules, and the biases that often shut out qualified women and racially and ethnically diverse candidates.

Pursuing and obtaining a superintendency is more complicated than any other educational employment process. Research-based and very practical, this insiders' view shows how to overcome the invisible selection criteria, the unwritten rules, and the biases that often shut out qualified women and racially and ethnically diverse candidates.

Marilyn Tallerico is a professor of Educational Leadership at Syracuse University. She teaches graduate courses in professional development, curriculum leadership, assessment of teaching, and politics of education. Her work has appeared in the Journal of Staff Development, as well as numerous other research and practitioner journals. She is widely published in the areas of the superintendency, gender, and educational leadership. Her two prior books were Accessing the Superintendency: The unwritten Rules (2000) and City Schools: Leading the Way (1993), the latter co-edited with Patrick B. Forsyth.

A theme throughout her work is how educational leaders can promote equity and excellence in the public schools. She has facilitated professional development for school board members, administrators, and teachers. She currently serves on the editorial board of the American Educational Research Journal, and has previously served on the boards of The Educational Administration Quarterly, and the Journal of School Leadership. Her community service and scholarship have been supported by the Educational Foundation of the American Association of University Women, the National Policy Board on Educational Administration, and the New York State Association for Women in Administration.

Prior to her position at the university, Marilyn served 12 years in the public schools in Connecticut and Arizona. She has been a central office curriculum administrator, a coordinator of bilingual and English-as-a-Second Language programs, and a Spanish teacher.