Rapid Response #5: Career Guidance 101 – Advice for Dr. Esperanza Zendejas, Courtesy of the Mercury News and the Unruly Advocate

Before we begin, let’s start with the new standard opening: the following article will be available for a limited time at The Mercury News: . It will, however, be available at The Unruly Advocate indefinitely.

Like any newspaper, The Mercury News Sunday edition is chock full of informative articles related to, though not necessarily directly about, current events from previous weeks. The departures of Zendejas and East Palo Alto’s superintendent La Dawn Law warranted an article by S.L. Wykes about the complexities beleaguering modern day school superintendents. In the opening paragraphs Wykes draws a correlation between the socio-economic status of a school district’s community and a superintendent’s longevity. Does Coto’s fourteen-year run contradict this claim? Nope. Coto was the exception, not the rule. The article’s thesis centers on the evolution of a superintendent’s role in public education over the past 30 years, and its dire assessment of the internal problems facing urban school districts rings far too true for the ESUHSD.

What causes urban school districts to suffer a crisis in leadership longevity? Wykes suggests “in districts where student performance is low and expectations are high, where elected board members squabble among themselves, and where poverty and other social factors make any quick fix impossible, tenure of superintendents can be measured in months.” The education reform debate taking place in board rooms, state legislatures and congressional committees across the nation recycles topics like student performance, high expectations, and problematic social factors as frequently as sweat exudes from the pores of an Arizonan in July. Though important, they seem like clichés in the mouths of sharp-tongued political aspirants and a mainstream media that favors simple fluff over thought-provoking depth. Wykes’ unique article does not rehash these oft-raised points. Instead, the author raises a topic that seldom enters the public consciousness in the education reform debate: the negative impact a “squabbling school board” can have on student performance and employee morale.

Don’t take our word for it. In preparing these rapid responses, Team Unruly has uncovered an important study with some disturbing conclusions for anyone familiar with ESUHSD politics. We found the link on the Duke University website, and the abstract can be found here: The study does cover some of the aforementioned topics, like setting high expectations, but a couple of other paragraphs caught our eye. Here’s what they discovered about urban school districts and school boards in their study of three different urban districts:

“Political Conflict

In each of the three case study districts, there had been a period when the school board was divided into factions, and much of its activity revolved around disputes over resources and influence. The school board's "zero sum" arguments often dealt with salaries, hiring and firing decisions, student assignment procedures, and school construction and closings. Factional disputes between department heads, the board versus the superintendent, superintendents versus principals, or principals versus teachers were common and often became serious and personal. At times, infighting was intense because the district was a major employer (especially for groups that historically faced discrimination in the labor market) and because participation in educational politics was a stepping-stone for higher political office. As a result, the leadership in these districts was often not focused primarily on improving student achievement.”

That’s right. Some corporate or government-funded think tank paid these professorial suburbanites to uncover what has for years been painfully obvious to members of urban communities involved with their public schools. And while you, faithful reader, might be trembling over the recent reality returning to your mind by the “board versus superintendent, superintendent versus principals, principals versus teachers” line, keep in mind that if current councilman, mayoral candidate and former East Side board member Dave Cortese becomes da mayor of America’s tenth largest city, a hungry Mann and rapacious Roach will be looking to make a bid for a higher local office. If you favor the gross negligence argument, the stepping-stone factor is one of the many reasons why Zendejas negligently got the job. Too many people were looking for lucrative rocks when they should have been steering the boat.

Zendejas is symbolic of the board that hired her. They interviewed her, chose her, and are thus responsible for the subsequent problems arising from that action. And if the board suffers from the malignancy of political yearning, their choice for superintendent was merely a symptom of that disease. Check out this prophetic paragraph from the same study and you’ll perhaps get a sense of why few if any in the East San Jose community trust those who keep offices at 830 North Capitol Ave.:

“Unsatisfactory Business Operations

One of the most frustrating aspects of daily life for teachers and principals in ailing urban schools is the difficulty they face in getting the basic necessities to operate a school. All too often, school facilities were poorly maintained or dangerous, students were taught by substitutes for part or even all of the school year, and teachers lacked an adequate supply of books and materials. At times district business operations were managed by staff who had been promoted because of tenure in the district, rather than their particular qualifications. Administrative systems were outdated and cumbersome, and new expertise was needed to bring them up to speed. In some of the districts there was the perception — and too often the reality — that direct political influence by school board members and other elected officials affected decisions such as hiring, promotions and assignments, and contracts for supplies or services. Finally, school level staff viewed the central office as unresponsive, bureaucratic, and micromanaging, rather than working to find real solutions.”

If you need proof that these behaviors routinely take place in the ESUHSD, you haven’t been reading this website. You can read “Relative Anxiety” from the Metro : . If anything ever changes in the East Side, it will happen when politics takes a backseat to purchasing pencils.

But we digress. Dig further into Wykes’ article, and you’ll discover it’s a primer on the makings of an effective superintendent. The article implies that Zendejas’ ineffectiveness came from her “managerial style.” Or, as parent Lou DeBruicker in Indianapolis said when Zendejas left that district, “Stability comes from trust and respect. That's what is missing. And it's in a large part due to the superintendent's management style - and to the board.”

We’ve decided to take a different approach to this rapid response, taking our cue from part of the philosophy governing 12 step programs. See, in a 12-step program the participant listens to the comments of others in the hope that said participant will identify to some degree with the speaker and thus recognize the severity of his or her problem. Zendejas told KNTV that she desires to find another superintendent position. If that is true, she needs to make some changes to her managerial style. Team Unruly has commented enough on this subject over the past year. For this article, we will only chime in with the comments from other people who offered advice to Zendejas during her days in Brownsville and Indianapolis. You can check out all the articles for yourself here: Maybe those voices from the past will assist her in recognizing a pattern, because recognizing the problem is first step on the path to recovery. We offer this merely as a public service, and wish Dr. Zendejas well in her future endeavors.

Or not.

New age for school chiefs

TENURES SHORTEN AS DISTRICT LEADERS FACE COMPLEX TASKS
By S.L. Wykes
Mercury News

La Dawn Law, superintendent of one of the Bay Area's most troubled school districts, left the job in East Palo Alto in June, barely a year after she started. Esperanza Zendejas quit her job this month as chief of San Jose's East Side Union High School District only two years into her contract.

At the other end of the longevity scale, Los Altos school district Superintendent Marge Gratiot had 18 years at the top before her retirement in June. And Ron Crates, Redwood City's elementary schools superintendent, just finished his 15th year.

A century ago, school superintendents could expect to keep their jobs for a decade or more. Many worked their entire careers in one place. By 1990, the average tenure was half that, according to an analysis by Stanford University professor Larry Cuban.

And in districts where student performance is low and expectations are high, where elected board members squabble among themselves, and where poverty and other social factors make any quick fix impossible, tenure of superintendents can be measured in months.

Being fired after a year or two isn't the career-ender or cause for shame it used to be. Now, it's often a measure of how challenging the job was in the first place -- or of how bad a fit existed between district and superintendent. And often, those people are hired quickly to jobs in even more challenging districts.

“Pleased by his easy-going style, the Brownsville school board wants acting superintendent Wally Jackson to keep the top job in Brownsville public education. Compared with former superintendent Esperanza Zendejas, who wasn't shy about stepping on toes, Jackson has a subtle way of doing things, said trustees who announced Wednesday that he is their sole choice to lead the Brownsville Independent School District.”—From an article on Zendejas’ Brownsville replacement Wallace Jackson.

But for all superintendents, the job has evolved considerably in the past 20 or 30 years.

`Survivor' skills

Once, a superintendent's day could be done in eight hours from behind a desk. Now, effective leadership of a school district requires the competitive skills of the television show ``Survivor.''

“"When I applied here, the one thing that really turned me on was that the headhunter said Indianapolis really needs an urban warrior." —former IPS Superintendent Esperanza Zendejas in a 1996 statement in Education Week.

To stay in the game, superintendents must form strategic alliances and be candid with the board members they serve and parents, teachers and students who increasingly are vocal and demanding. They need to be mentally sharp from early-morning meetings through late-night school events. And they need the skill of diplomats to rally competing -- and sometimes warring -- interests to a common cause.

“Nearly all attending the meeting were outraged over what they perceived was mistreatment of Stewart by the board and IPS Superintendent Esperanza Zendejas. Zendejas alleges that Stewart followed her out of a recent meeting, yelled and verbally attacked her and called her a liar in front of staff members.” — From the Indianapolis Recorder regarding the IPS board’s censure of fellow trustee Hazel Stewart.

``You have to be quick and agile on your feet, savvy about facilities, governance and curriculum and develop trust,'' said Jim Brown, Palo Alto Unified's superintendent from 1989 to 1996 and California Superintendent of the Year 1999-2000. ``And making things happen with finesse in a way that builds support is very critical. If you're out there and nobody's with you, it's very lonely.''

“The surprising decision has left many, including board members, speculating on how long Superintendent Esperanza Zendejas will stay in a district that is increasingly abandoning her controversial reform proposals. She already has warned them of eroding support.”—from an Indy Star article on IPS trustees voting against Zendejas’ proposal to fire 12 principals.

Zendejas arrived at East Side Union to replace 14-year veteran Superintendent Joe Coto. Faced with budget cuts, Zendejas' management style, observers say, alienated district teachers, parents and students. In one show of discontent, students at several high schools staged a one-day walkout to protest proposed layoffs.

"I think you can accomplish [education reform] without beating people over the head,"—IPS parent activist Sally Flood, commenting on Zendejas’ departure.

"You have to pay attention to people,'' said former Cupertino Union 16-year Superintendent Marcia Plumleigh. ``It's suicidal not to do that.''

“Flood was one of several who served on a committee to advise Zendejas on her accountability plan, but said, "No one in the community truly had a say in what was set."—ibid.

The job, she said, is not about ``the superintendent getting what the superintendent wants. It's about being part of a community in which you value the opinions of all in moving the mission forward.''

"He listens. He's capable. He just doesn't like to make decisions," said
Margaret Etchison, who hired and admired the controversial
former-superintendent Esperanza Zendejas.”—comparing Zendejas to her replacement Jackson in BISD.

Listening to community

When a superintendent listens to the community in a public way, it demonstrates he or she values what others say. Showing up at night events and calling special meetings to gather community input is a smart management tactic and a survival skill.

"We want to be heard. We didn't have that a year ago. We talked until we were blue in the face while they closed schools and fired principals ... We were ignored."—IPS parent activist Maureen Jayne, who organized a political action group in response to Zendejas’ policies.

Ramon Cortines organized 18 public meetings in his first six months as San Jose's superintendent. When he arrived to take the top job in New York City, he scheduled 40 public meetings in his first year.

It's what Plumleigh calls consultative mode. ``You may not do everything'' people say, ``but when they give you feedback, you know what the obstacles are and what they're worried about,'' she said.

“[Lou] DeBruicker said the board and Zendejas have sought - and have gotten - feedback from parents. But they don't always listen, she said. ‘If that's the case, then it's time to move on. You can't tell us you want our input and then ignore us when we give it to you’."—IPS parent on Zendejas’ community relations.

And candor is a must. ``If there's bad news, be the first one to announce it. If you make a mistake, don't try to cover it up,'' said Joe Cirasuolo, former president of the American Association of School Administrators.

“Repeated attempts by The Brownsville Herald to obtain copies of the audit this week have been delayed by the district. The delay is believed to be a violation of the Freedom of Information Act and the Texas Open Records Act.” —The Brownsville Herald

Changing times

One big difference between the old and the new climate for school administrators is boards that are far more politicized and involved than in mid-20th-century America.

Then, ``respective roles were commonly accepted,'' Cirasuolo said. ``The board set the policy and the superintendent carried it out. Now boards are much more involved in management issues, and while superintendents don't have as much say as they once did, they're still held accountable.''

“"Zendejas is doing the job that the board hired her to do. It's unfortunate, but some of us are caught up in the mix.”—Janice Newsom, one of a dozen principals targeted for firing in IPS, to The Indianapolis Recorder. As mentioned, the board later rejects Zendejas’ proposal.

Another obstacle to long tenure is a board that is not quite sure what it wants, or changes its mind in midstream or is torn by infighting. Larry Aceves, at the helm of San Jose's Franklin-McKinley district for the last 12 years, was one of a half-dozen superintendents who have been through a revolving door at the troubled Alum Rock district since the early 1990s. He was there for 2 1/2 years.

One reason he left ``was that I could see I was not having an impact. The board itself was not clear what its focus was. As the `CEO,' I work for the board, at their direction. I have to have the same focus as the board.''

“The Indianapolis Public School Board voted unanimously to give [Ralph] Bedwell his job back, ending nearly six months of uncertainty over whether the longtime director would again run the program he helped build. Superintendent Esperanza Zendejas and her administration had accused Bedwell of wrongly assigning certain students to the performing arts and humanities magnet program and overseeing a segregated program called integrated arts.”—The Indy Star.

Working together

Boards may lose their focus if their members can't work together -- or, in some cases, have differences of opinion so profound it becomes difficult to get anything done. Elections can jeopardize a superintendent's tenure overnight. New board majorities may completely remake a district's priorities.

And the deeper the previous turmoil in a district, the greater the challenge to an incoming superintendent.

“In the wake of her decision last week to resign at the end of the school year, many in the city wonder whether Zendejas' reforms have improved IPS or whether her tenure further muddled the district's complex troubles.”—The Indy Star.

"Some board members, collectively and individually, expect a miracle worker,'' said Cortines. Law arrived at Ravenswood City Elementary with a background of work with districts of at-risk students. After an election, the district's five-person board had three new members.

Law faced a tremendous task: The majority of the district's children are not reading or doing math at grade level. The district's budget is crimped. The majority of the district's students don't speak English as a first language, and their families are poor.

Expectations were high. What happened? Neither Law nor the board will say. Veteran superintendents know that the situation Law encountered required learning the district's culture, building respectful relationships with board members and having that special finesse of getting things done that overcomes fear of change.

"The work has become far more complex, far more public, and the body of knowledge that people have to have is equally complex,'' Plumleigh said. "The demands of the job have radically shifted. You can't be a benevolent dictator anymore.''

“BISD could use a little tender leadership now, said a former trustee.”—commenting on Zendejas, from The Brownsville Herald.

“Zendejas had created an atmosphere of intimidation in which IPS teachers sometimes are apprehensive about being honest with parents and the community because they fear losing their jobs. [. . .] "Should've been a lot sooner," [Charles Payne] said of [Zendejas’] resignation. "Her whole approach to the teaching staff has been regulating us to the point where we're not seen as professionals."—The Indy Star