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mission (Bklss A\'olio- 1994). There was a vinuallv unanimous sentiment i,,,,
s~~pesintendent-le* it would he very difficult to ''move the staff fom,ard.3. Other district
ndminislrato~s expressed the ~entrality of leadership as [he imponance of his or her 66u,eioht.,
t
in rllovinf the distl-ict. One pl-incipal appreciated the superintendent as the
people accou~llahlc for lheir pieces of the effon." A curriculum director \raJued a
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superintendent who undel-stood the balance between being, on the one hand, a "good listener1'
and "\!rillin_r I0 let the process develop" and on the other hand, also always there to "make
sure the process \!.as mo\.ins forward."
Other roles of the superintendent were often done in partnership with the curriculum
director. Together they gleaned information from various sources, they served in the role of
interpreter of state policy and procedures for the district, and they chose how and when to
communicate \\,hat they had learned to other district practitioners. This was particularly
necessary in slnall districts ivhere curriculum people were also depended upon to either teach
or I I .
IZttcnd;~ncc ;it inl'omiational meetings was a shared duty. often dependent on
\\.ho c.ould ,part the timc. But it \!.as through these meetings that all districts reported
~rtlaining rhc inforr~iaric~=~ or Ic~ming ~vhnt other districts were doins.
Once hack in [hc 11onle district. it \vas apin the role of the superintendent and
curriculllnl direclor (0 interpret and niake sense of the e\7er-changinp procedurd guidelines
from [lie st;llc ;ind to dc\.e]op. or re-derehp. 3 plan I@ the new procedures and
cffcc[i\.e Fi\.en Otllcr district initiatives. Finally. it was the role of the superintendent Or
curriculLlln director to dircc[ tile cffons at financing the inlplementarion-
~-ri~in~, or 111c alloca[ion Of resources such 3s time
money.
thmueh elnnt