The Power of the Written Word

School Administrator, June, 1998

Read any good books lately?

We asked a variation of that age-old conversation starter to a handful of current and former superintendents known to be prolific readers with keen insights. Their assignment: To select one book encountered anytime during their professional career whose ideas have had a profound and resonating impact on their thoughts and actions relating to school system leadership.

From their short essays, which begin on page 6, you will find that some had an easier time than others narrowing their choices to a single work. One superintendent reached back to an out-of-print John Dewey title. Others picked books on leadership. And one superintendent selected a most unlikely title--The Little Prince, a children's work whose main character discovers through his interplanetary travels the secret of what is really important in life.

Undoubtedly, many of you have your own favorite titles, and we'd like to hear about them. Please drop me a note or send me an e-mail message that identifies the title and author and briefly explains how this work has affected you. Depending on the response, we may repeat this feature in future issues.

In addition, we always welcome AASA members to join our corps of book reviewers, who are responsible for helping us select and evaluate the three works that appear each month. If you'd like to critique a new book three or four times a year, let me know.

Finally, the June issue of The School Administrator carries a pair of articles by Martha Bruckner (page 24) and Helen Sharp (page 28) that we encourage you to share with someone at home. Bruckner and Sharp discuss the harsh effects of school administration work on spouses and family members. It's a look at the personal side of administrative life that's not often addressed in the literature. But at a time when public school leaders are under enormous pressure, we think it deserves this attention and probably more.

Jay P. Goldman

Voice: 703-875-0745

E-mail: jgoldrnan@aasa.org