Bob CollinsA Duluth superintendent of schools was placed on leave this week after it was found he didn’t have a license to be a school superintendent.
What’s required to get a license to be a school superintendent? Here’s the state law:
3512.0510 PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS FOR ALL ADMINISTRATIVE LICENSES.
Subpart 1.
Core leadership competencies for Minnesota administrative licenses.
A person who serves as a superintendent, principal, director of special education, or director of community education shall demonstrate competence in the following core areas:
A. Leadership by:
(1)collaboratively assessing and improving culture and climate;
(2)providing purpose and direction for individuals and groups;
(3)modeling shared leadership and decision-making strategies;
(4)demonstrating an understanding of issues affecting education;
(5)through a visioning process, formulating strategic plans and goals with staff and community;
(6)setting priorities in the context of stakeholder needs;
(7)serving as a spokesperson for the welfare of all learners in a multicultural context;
(8)understanding how education is impacted by local, state, national, and international events;
(9)demonstrating the ability to facilitate and motivate others; and
(10)demonstrating the ability to implement change or educational reform;
B.Organizational management by:
(1)demonstrating an understanding of organizational systems;
(2)defining and using processes for gathering, analyzing, managing, and using data to plan and make decisions for program evaluation;
(3)planning and scheduling personal and organizational work, establishing procedures to regulate activities and projects, and delegating and empowering others at appropriate levels;
(4)demonstrating the ability to analyze need and allocate personnel and material resources;
(5)developing and managing budgets and maintaining accurate fiscal records;
(6)demonstrating an understanding of facilities development, planning, and management; and
(7)understanding and using technology as a management tool;
C.Diversity leadership by:
(1)demonstrating an understanding and recognition of the significance of diversity, and responding to the needs of diverse learners;
(2)creating and monitoring a positive learning environment for all students;
(3)creating and monitoring a positive working environment for all staff;
(4)promoting sensitivity about diversity throughout the school community; and
(5)demonstrating the ability to adapt educational programming to the needs of diverse constituencies;
D.Policy and law by:
(1)developing, adjusting, and implementing policy to meet local, state, and federal requirements and constitutional provisions, standards, and regulatory applications;
(2)recognizing and applying standards of care involving civil and criminal liability for negligence, harassment, and intentional torts; and
(3)demonstrating an understanding of state, federal, and case law governing general education, special education, and community education;
E.Political influence and governance by:
(1)exhibiting an understanding of school districts as a political system, including governance models;
(2)demonstrating the ability to involve stakeholders in the development of educational policy;
(3)understanding the role and coordination of social agencies and human services; and
(4)demonstrating the ability to align constituencies in support of priorities and build coalitions for programmatic and financial support;
F.Communication by:
(1)formulating and carrying out plans for internal and external communications;
(2)demonstrating facilitation skills;
(3)recognizing and applying an understanding of individual and group behavior in normal and stressful situations;
(4)facilitating teamwork;
(5)demonstrating an understanding of conflict resolution and problem-solving strategies;
(6)making presentations that are clear and easy to understand;
(7)responding, reviewing, and summarizing information for groups;
(8)communicating appropriately, speaking, listening, and writing, for different audiences such as students, teachers, parents, community, and other stakeholders; and
(9)understanding and utilizing appropriate communication technology;
G.Community relations by:
(1)articulating organizational purpose and priorities to the community and media;
(2)requesting and responding to community feedback;
(3)demonstrating the ability to build community consensus;
(4)relating political initiatives to stakeholders, including parental involvement programs;
(5)identifying and interacting with internal and external publics;
(6)understanding and responding to the news media;
(7)promoting a positive image of schools and the school district;
(8)monitoring and addressing perceptions about school-community issues; and
(9)demonstrating the ability to identify and articulate critical community issues that may impact local education;
H.Curriculum planning and development for the success of all learners by:
(1)demonstrating the ability to enhance teaching and learning through curriculum assessment and strategic planning for all learners, including early childhood, elementary, middle and junior high school, high school, special education, gifted and talented, and adult levels;
(2)demonstrating the ability to provide planning and methods to anticipate trends and educational implications;
(3)demonstrating the ability to develop, implement, and monitor procedures to align, sequence, and articulate curriculum and validate curricular procedures;
(4)demonstrating the ability to identify instructional objectives and use valid and reliable performance indicators and evaluative procedures to measure performance outcomes;
(5)appropriately using learning technologies;
(6)demonstrating an understanding of alternative instructional designs, curriculum, behavior management, and assessment accommodations and modifications; and
(7)demonstrating an understanding of the urgency of global competitiveness;
I.Instructional management for the success of all learners by:
(1)demonstrating an understanding of research of learning and instructional strategies;
(2)describing and applying research and best practices on integrating curriculum and resources to help all learners achieve at high levels;
(3)demonstrating the ability to utilize data for instructional decision making;
(4)demonstrating the ability to design appropriate assessment strategies for measuring learner outcomes;
(5)demonstrating the ability to implement alternative instructional designs, curriculum, behavior management, and assessment accommodations and modifications; and
(6)demonstrating the ability to appropriately use technology to support instruction;
J.Human resource management by:
(1)demonstrating knowledge of effective personnel recruitment, selection, and retention;
(2)demonstrating an understanding of staff development to improve the performance of all staff members;
(3)demonstrating the ability to select and apply appropriate models for supervision and evaluation;
(4)describing and demonstrating the ability to apply the legal requirements for personnel selection, development, retention, and dismissal;
(5)demonstrating an understanding of management responsibilities to act in accordance with federal and state constitutional provisions, statutory and case law, regulatory applications toward education, local rules, procedures, and directives governing human resource management;
(6)demonstrating an understanding of labor relations and collective bargaining; and
(7)demonstrating an understanding of the administration of employee contracts, benefits, and financial accounts;
K.Values and ethics of leadership by:
(1)demonstrating an understanding of the role of education in a democratic society;
(2)demonstrating an understanding of and model democratic value systems, ethics, and moral leadership;
(3)demonstrating the ability to balance complex community demands in the best interest of learners;
(4)helping learners grow and develop as caring, informed citizens; and
(5)demonstrating an understanding and application of the Code of Ethics for School Administrators under part 3512.5200;
L.Judgment and problem analysis by:
(1)identifying the elements of a problem situation by analyzing relevant information, framing issues, identifying possible causes, and reframing possible solutions;
(2)demonstrating adaptability and conceptual flexibility;
(3)assisting others in forming opinions about problems and issues;
(4)reaching logical conclusions by making quality, timely decisions based on available information;
(5)identifying and giving priority to significant issues;
(6)demonstrating an understanding of and utilize appropriate technology in problem analysis; and
(7)demonstrating an understanding of different leadership and decision-making strategies, including but not limited to collaborative models and model appropriately their implementation; and
M.Safety and security by:
(1)demonstrating the ability to develop and implement policies and procedures for safe and secure educational environments;
(2)demonstrating the ability to formulate safety and security plans to implement security procedures including an articulated emergency chain of command, safety procedures required by law, law enforcement assistance, communication with the public, and evacuation procedures;
(3)demonstrating the ability to identify areas of vulnerability associated with school buses, buildings, and grounds and formulate a plan to take corrective action;
(4)demonstrating an understanding of procedural predictabilities and plan variations where possible; and
(5)demonstrating the ability to develop plans that connect every student with a school adult, eliminate bullying and profiling, and implement recommended threat assessment procedures.
Subp. 2.Superintendent competencies.
A person who serves as a superintendent shall demonstrate all core competencies described in subpart 1 and competence in the following specific areas:
A.Policy and law by:
(1)demonstrating an understanding of the role policy plays in school district governance and administration;
(2)demonstrating knowledge of statutory regulations affecting school board meetings, communications, procedures, and practices; and
(3)demonstrating an understanding of the roles and responsibilities of the school board;
B.Political influence and governance by:
(1)demonstrating an understanding of the role the political process plays in public education and the connection between them;
(2)demonstrating an understanding of how to interact with local and state governments; and
(3)demonstrating an understanding of the roles played by other community leaders in the school district;
C.Communication by:
(1)demonstrating knowledge of cultivating positive relationships between and with school board members; and
(2)demonstrating an understanding of the importance of communication leadership between school district and its community;
D.Organization management by demonstrating knowledge of factors that affect school finance, including sources of revenue; expenditure classifications; generally acceptable accounting principles; and local, state, and federal finance calculations; and
E.Judgment and problem analysis by demonstrating knowledge of how to balance varied and competing interests to ensure the mission and vision of the school district is carried forward.
