It’s a Different World at the High School: A New Superintendent Discovers Competing Cultures Within the District

This case describes initial conflicts experienced by a new superintendent that involve faculty resistance and diminished academic expectations at the high school, compared with the district’s other schools. Compounding the situation is the fact that the Board of Education was bitterly divided when reaching their superintendent hiring decision, with several members supportive of hiring the current high school principal. Fueled by the discovery of numerous parent complaints regarding discriminatory treatment of their children, the superintendent is confronted by the high school faculty who aggressively defend their practices and a high school principal who appears to be undermining her authority.