Leadership Matters August 2014

IASA offers valuable mentoring services for new superintendents

This year there will be more than 60 brand new superintendents who were hired to begin leading their respective districts in Illinois. As I reflect on my own first superintendency, I can’t help but think about the long and arduous process it took to get there -- the application process, the screening, the interviews with the board, the committees, etc. Then you get the call from the

Dr. Gary Zabilka IASA Field Services Director

board president: “We’d like you to be our next superintendent.” Euphoria kicks in, you’re giddy, you’re thinking “finally,” as well as singing the “Hallelujah Chorus.” Your mind is racing, but in no particular direction. However, once things calm down, you sign your contract, and you show up for your first day on the job. You may all of the sudden be thinking like Robert Redford in the movie “The Candidate,” where upon being surprised that he was elected said to his campaign manager, “Marvin, now what do we do?” It’s often been cited that the superintendency is considered to be one of the loneliest jobs in education. No one else in the district has that position, and it will be rare to find someone in the district that ever held that position. It is for this reason that mentoring is considered to be a valuable practice for new superintendents to embrace. Mentoring is defined as the professional practice that occurs when experienced, trained educators (in this case, superintendents) work effectively with novice educators to support, challenge and guide the development of their professional practices and facilitate structured reflection of those practices. Mentoring can occur both formally and informally, as mentors are often colleagues with whom one may have previously worked or someone who has been assigned to serve in that capacity based on their years of experience and ability to work effectively with others. IASA made a commitment in 2012 to create three Field Services Director positions, with one of the main responsibilities being to deliver mentoring services to new and continuing superintendents while

serving as a role models and resources for problem- solving. This service is provided free of charge for members. All new superintendents will be contacted by their Super Region’s Field Services Director, who not only will introduce themselves but also offer new superintendents a cadre of services and resources that IASA can provide, including mentoring. New superintendents should strongly consider the options available through IASA for mentoring. Mentoring can be extremely helpful and beneficial as one begins to navigate the numerous responsibilities and challenges that today’s superintendents must face. The IASA Field Services Directors would like to support new superintendents so that they may begin their superintendency on a positive note and build upon their own successes. If you haven’t heard from your Field Service Director, feel free to contact them through the IASA offices in Schaumburg (847-466- 5075), Springfield (217-753-2213), or Marion (618- 364-0501).

Field Services Directors

Northeastern Super Region Dr. Gary Zabilka Northcentral Super Region Dr. Bill Phillips Southern Super Region Dr. Nick Osborne

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