Superintendents face numerous challenges navigating the turbulence within districts created by employee turnover that follows implementation of turnaround policies. Literature on educational policy, the superintendency, and resilience calls for researchers to examine how mindfulness supports leadership for improving instructional services to increase student achievement while balancing multiple problems that attend heightened instability and decreased satisfaction of school personnel. Over a two-year period of study, observations, interviews, and artifacts were gathered and analyzed to describe the experience of a new superintendent who led the turnaround process in a small urban district. Balancing the various demands that attend leading a turnaround district is no small feat and includes responsibilities related to: building relationships with the school board, district staff, and community; hiring and firing of cabinet members, campus level administrators, and teachers; revamping instructional and evaluation practices, while seeking to build trust with stakeholders; bringing predictability and voice in district governance. High stakes accountability may be a tool for change, but it is mindfully serving students and families that nurtures resilience.
Aud, S., Hussar, W., Kena, G., Bianco, K., Frohlich, L., Kemp, J., & Tahan, K. (2011). The Condition of Education 2011 (NCES 2011-033). U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.
Baskerville, R. L. (1999). Investigating Information Systems with Action Research. Communications of the Association for Information Systems, 2, 1-32.
Bellingrath, S., Weigl, T., & Kudielka, B. (2009). Chronic Work Stress and Exhaustion Is Associated with Higher Allostastic Load in Female Teachers. Stress, 12, 37-48. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10253890802042041
Berkovich, I., & Eyai, O. (2015). Educational Leaders and Emotions: An International Review of Empirical Evidence 1992-2012. Review of Educational Research, 85, 129-167. http://dx.doi.org/10.3102/0034654314550046
Brown, W. K., & Ryan, R. M. (2003). The Benefits of Being Present: Mindfulness and Its Role in Psychological Well-Being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 84, 822-848. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.84.4.822
Burpee, L. C., & Langer, E. J. (2005). Mindfulness and Marital Satisfaction. Journal of Adult Development, 12, 43-51. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10804-005-1281-6
Carson, S. H., & Langer, E. J. (2006) Mindfulness and Self-Acceptance. Journal of Rational-Emotive & Cognitive-Behavior Therapy, 24, 29-43. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10942-006-0022-5
Conley, S., & You, S. (2009). Teacher Role Stress, Satisfaction, Commitment, and Intentions to Leave: A Structural Model. Psychological Reports, 105, 771-786. http://dx.doi.org/10.2466/PR0.105.3.771-786
Eck, J. (2011). Best in the World: High Performance with High Reliability. In J. Eck, S. Stringfield, D. Reynolds, E. Schaffer, & G. Bellamy (Eds.), Noteworthy Perspectives: High Reliability Organizations in Education (pp. 36-44). Denver, CO: McREL.
Edmondson, A. (2004). Learning from Failure in Health Care: Frequent Opportunities, Pervasive Barriers. Quality and Safety in Health Care, 13, 3-9. http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/qshc.2003.009597
Gardiner, M., & Enomoto, E (2006). Urban School Principals and Their Role as Multicultural Leaders. Urban Education, 41, 560-584. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0042085906294504
Glass, T., & Franceschini, L. (2007). The State of the American School Superintendency: A Mid-Decade Study. Arlington, VA: Rowman & Littlefield.
Hawk, N., & Martin, B. (2011). Understanding and Reducing Stress in the Superintendency. Educational Management Administration & Leadership, 39, 364-389. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1741143210394000
Herr, K., & Anderson, G. L. (2005). The Action Research Dissertation. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Hoy, W., Gage, C., & Tarter, J. (2006). School Mindfulness and Faculty Trust: Necessary Conditions for Each Other? Educational Administration Quarterly, 42, 236-255. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0013161X04273844
Kendra, J. M., & Wachtendorf, T. (2003). Elements of Resilience after the World Trade Center Disaster: Reconstituting New York City’s Emergency Operations Centre. Disasters, 21, 37-53. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/1467-7717.00218
Klusmann, U., Kunter, M., Trautwein, U., Ludtke, O., & Baumert, J. (2008). Teachers’ Occupational Well-Being and Quality of Instruction: The Important Role of Self-Regulatory Patterns. Journal of Educational Psychology, 100, 702-715. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0022-0663.100.3.702
Kutash, J., Nico, E., Gorin, E., Rahmatullah, S., & Tallant, K. (2010). The School Turnaround Fieldguide. San Francisco, CA: FSG Social Impact Advisors.
La Porte, T. R. (1996). Hight Reliability Organizations: Unlikely, Demanding and at Risk. Journal of Contingencies and Crisis Management, 4, 60-71.
Langer, E. J. (1993). A Mindful Education. Educational Psychologist, 28, 43-50. http://dx.doi.org/10.1207/s15326985ep2801_4
Lawrence, P. R., & Lorsch, J. W. (1967). Differentiation and Integration in Complex Organizations. Administrative Science Quarterly, 12, 1-47. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/2391211
Lincoln, Y., & Guba, E. (1985). Naturalistic Inquiry. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.
Malen, B., & Rice, J. (2004). A Framework for Assessing the Impact of Education Reforms on School Capacity: Insights from High-Stakes Accountability Initiatives. Educational Policy, 18, 631-660. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0895904804268901
Messersmith, J., Lee, J., Guthrie, J., & Ji, Y. (2014). Turnover at the Top: Executive Team Departures and Firm Performance. Organization Science, 25, 776-793. http://dx.doi.org/10.1287/orsc.2013.0864
Murphy, J. (2009). Turning around Failing Schools: Policy Insights from the Corporate, Government, and Nonprofit Sectors. Educational Policy, 23, 796-830. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0895904808320677
Murphy, J., & Meyers, C. (2009). Rebuilding Organizational Capacity in Turnaround Schools. Educational Management Administration & Leadership, 37, 9-27. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1741143208098162
Philipp, A., & Schupback, K. (2010). Longitudinal Effects of Emotional Labour on Emotional Exhaustion and Dedication of Teachers. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 15, 494-504. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/a0021046
Price, H. E. (2010). Does No Child Left behind Really Capture School Quality? Evidence from an Urban School District. Educational Policy, 24, 779-814. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0895904810376564
Ravitch, D. (2010). The Death and Life of the Great American School System. New York: Basic Books.
Rees, C., Breen, L., Cusack, L., & Hegney, D. (2015). Understanding Individual Resilience in the Workplace: The International Collaboration of Workforce Resilience Model. Frontiers in Psychology, 6, 1-7. http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00073
Riehl, C. (2000). The Principal’s Role in Creating Inclusive Schools for Diverse Students: A Review of Normative, Empirical, and Critical Literature on the Practice of Educational Administration. Review of Educational Research, 70, 55-81. http://dx.doi.org/10.3102/00346543070001055
Roberts, K., Stout, S., & Halpern, J. (1994). Decision Dynamics in Two High Reliability Military Organizations. Management Science, 40, 614-424. http://dx.doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.40.5.614
Rodriquez, M. A., Murakami-Ramalho, E., & Ruff, W. G. (2009). Leading with Heart: Urban Elementary Principals as Advocates for Students. Educational Considerations, 36, 8-13.
Sherman, W. (2007). No Child Left Behind: A Legislative Catalyst for Superintendent Action to Eliminate Test-Score Gaps. Educational Policy, 22, 675-704. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0895904807307063
Sicoly, F. (2002). What Do School-Level Scores from Larger-Scale Assessments Really Measure? Education Measurement: Issues and Practice, 21, 17-26. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1745-3992.2002.tb00103.x
Stringer, E. T. (2007). Action Research (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Theoharis, G. (2008). Woven Deeply: Identity and Leadership of Urban Social Justice Principals. Education and Urban Society, 41, 3-25. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0013124508321372
Vogus, T., & Welbourne, T. (2003). Structuring for High Reliability: HR Practices and Mindful Processes in Reliability-Seeking Organizations. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 24, 877-903. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/job.221
Weick, K., & Sutcliffe, K. (2007). Managing the Unexpected (2nd ed.). San Francisco, CA: John Wiley & Sons.
Wildavsky, A. (1991). Searching for Safety. New Brunswick: Transaction Books.
Wills, M. (2014). Average Urban School Superintendent Tenure Decreases, Survey Shows. Education Week. http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/District_Dossier/2014/11/urban_school_superintendent_te.html
Windle, G., Bennett, K., & Noyes, J. (2011). A Methodological Review of Resilience Measurement Scales. Health and Quality of Life Outcomes, 9, 1-18. http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/1477-7525-9-8
Woods, S. (2009). Training Professionals in Mindfulness: The Heart of Teaching. In F. Didonna (Ed.). Clinical Handbook of Mindfulness (pp. 463-475). New York: Springer. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-09593-6_26