Did you know search engines like Google are changing the way you see news? Keep Chalkbeat’s valuable education coverage at the top of your feeds by clicking here and checking the box next to our name.
A new Vanderbilt University study digging into Tennessee superintendent turnover found top leaders hired from within a school district were less likely to resign to take another job than candidates recruited externally.
Superintendent churn can come with a big cost, according to a separate paper published this month at Brown University. Chronic superintendent turnover affects student achievement compared to students in districts with long-term stable leadership, the study found.
Internal hires could be a path for districts looking for stability and long tenures, said the Vanderbilt study co-author Jason Grissom.
“This is suggesting to me that often internal hires have come up in that system, they are likely to have deep roots in that community,” said Grissom, the faculty director of the Tennessee Education Research Alliance and a professor of public policy and education. “They are more likely to be committed to being in that system for the long term. You’re less likely to lose them to an alternative employment, another superintendency, or these other kinds of opportunities outside of the public school system.”
The Vanderbilt University study gathered 15 years of superintendent data across the state to dig into why district leaders leave their top jobs and what they do after leaving. Previous studies had examined only state administrative data, Grissom said, which simply tracked if superintendents resigned to take another Tennessee school district job. The new study tracks exiting superintendents beyond the state system.
Vanderbilt researchers compiled data following superintendents departing out of state into new superintendent jobs, second careers in the private sector, or education policy-related work in the government and nonprofit sectors.
Student underachievement can be exacerbated even further in districts with repeated superintendent churn and high-poverty student populations, according to the Brown study. High-poverty districts with chronic superintendent churn fell around two months of learning behind more superintendent-stable districts.
Why superintendents leave their jobs isn’t entirely clear. Grissom said more educators are being promoted to principals and then superintendents at younger ages than in years past, and therefore might be ready for a second career well before retirement age.
The Vanderbilt study also found a correlation between school board turnover and superintendent exits, with an even stronger connection between school board changes and superintendent retirements.
White argued superintendent stability could be a relatively inexpensive goal for districts to pursue, compared to other district-wide programs and interventions.
“Whatever its magnitude, the value of stability may lie less in stability itself than in what superintendent continuity enables, such as improved trust and relationships, deep knowledge of the community and students served, and strong districtwide instructional coherence,” White writes.
Superintendent churn has stabilized nationally after a pandemic high, according to a new analysis from consulting firm ILO Group. The Vanderbilt data mirrors that trend, with a steep drop-off in superintendent turnover after a COVID-era spike.
Still, several large Tennessee school districts have grappled with superintendent losses in recent years. Williamson County Schools is currently in the midst of a superintendent search. Former Superintendent Jason Golden resigned this summer to take a job in a neighboring district weeks before a contentious partisan school board election.
Leadership stability has been a major issue in Tennessee’s largest school district. Memphis-Shelby County Schools has churned through four superintendents in five years, and more change could be on the horizon if an impending state takeover moves forward.
Independent auditors this year pointed to leadership instability as a critical issue that eroded institutional knowledge, worsened staff retention, and weakened internal controls. The state-funded audit also found the district has no formal documented plan for leadership transitions — which has fragmented record-keeping practices and district policies.
Melissa Brown is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Tennessee. Contact Melissa at mbrown@chalkbeat.org.
