ISSUES IN URBAN SCHOOL-DISTRICT LEADERSHIP - PROFESSIONAL-DEVELOPMENT

This article examines the academic frameworks and theoretical concepts presented to students pursuing graduate degrees in educational admini stration and planning to begin or continue careers in urban school dis tricts. It addresses the absence of a focus or emphasis on the urban c ontext in most graduate schools of education. Additionally, graduate p rograms in educational administration fend to separate school district leadership into the principalship and the superintendency. The purpos e of this article is to present a 1-semester course on urban school di strict leadership that links the three levels of educational leadershi p-the principal, central office administration, and the school system superintendent-into a leadership triad. This leadership triad interact s through a series of relationships-political and professional-that fa cilitate or hinder the creation and/or support of the climate and cult ure within a school, necessary for teaching and learning to take place .