K-12 Leaders Shift From Protectors of Status Quo to Change Agents

David Britten, the superintendent of the 1,800-student Godfrey-Lee school district in Wyoming (MI), said the activity he sees in his schools has changed dramatically over the past five years. Between classes, students walk the hallways texting their families and friends. They bring their laptops and tablets to school to take notes in class. And Britten himself regularly uses the district’s Facebook page to reach out to and connect with students, parents, educators, and the community.

“That’s part of the game now,” said the superintendent. In fact, as a result of the shifting educational landscape—in large part because of technological changes—what it means to be a superintendent today is far different from what it was just a few years ago, he and others say. Superintendents across the country are now communicating more directly with community members than in the past, said Rowland Baker, the executive director of the Technology Information Center for Administrative Leadership, or TICAL, in Santa Cruz, CA. These days, when parents or members of the public want to voice an opinion about something happening in a school or district, they often fire off an email to the superintendent, rather than set up a meeting or phone call, Baker said.