Creating and on-line learning community for new school superintendents: Using technology to answer the unmet professional development needs of educational learners.

摘要

The school superintendency in New York State is undergoing a period of rapid retirement and turnover. In 5 years, nearly two-thirds of the superintendents will be in the first 5 years of their first superintendency. Simultaneously, schools report difficulty in attracting experienced candidates to the superintendency in historical numbers. Given the challenge of the initial transition to the superintendency, these trends suggest that the need for the professional development of new superintendents will be greater than ever.; This study explored new and veteran superintendents' opinions of new superintendents' learning needs, the deficiencies of current preparation programs, and the gaps left by formal and informal in-service supports. These data informed the development of a pilot project using the Internet as a means of retaining and transmitting the knowledge and experience of veteran superintendents to their novice replacements. Principles of adult learning suggest this process can be best informed by facilitating role socialization with experienced counterparts, providing a resource where relevant technical and leadership questions can be asked and answered, and forming a community of learners sharing experiences and strategies for success. Computer-Mediated Communication research suggests that such communities form where groups of learners have similar needs and goals and can communicate at their personal convenience.; These findings are of significance to the burgeoning superintendent preparation field, to those applying the principles of adult learning to the complex non-routine problem solving typical of the superintendency, and to the use of the Internet as a socialization and learning medium.; The study results suggest that despite the range of new superintendents' complex and expansive learning needs, more research is necessary to design technology-based learning tools that attract sustained usage. Promising avenues for further exploration include making static (but relevant) content available on the website "pushing" the collegial discussion to participants' e-mail in-boxes to overcome other competing distractions.; Despite mixed results during the trial phase of the pilot project, the enthusiastic response during the design phase shows that technology remains a promising medium for the provision of complex adult learning with direct application for professional development, ripe for further development. This study is a contribution to that evolution.