A comparison of Tennessee elected and appointed school superintendents on selected demographic and school system variables

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to provide a comparison of Tennessee elected and appointed school superintendents on selected demographic and school system variables.

A questionnaire, consisting of demographic characteristics related to the superintendent and Tennessee school systems, was developed and mailed to all Tennessee superintendents. A total of 137 of 141 superintendents responded, including 79 elected and 58 appointed. More than 96 percent in each category responded.

The t-Test was utilized to determine if there were significant differences in the pupil/teacher ratios, professional salaries, and per pupil expenditures for Tennessee school systems with elected and appointed superintendents. The Mann-Whitney U-Test was used to analyze the differences in scores obtained by pupils from school systems where the superintendent was elected and those obtained by pupils from school systems where the superintendent was appointed for language and mathematics on the eighth grade Basic Skills Test and the ninth grade Proficiency Test. A Chi Square Test was used to analyze the differences in scores on the language and mathematics subtests of the Stanford Achievement Test for twelfth grade pupils who were enrolled in school systems with elected superintendents and twelfth grade pupils who were enrolled in school systems with appointed superintendents. Results for the remaining characteristics were listed in tables for comparison purposes.

It was concluded that appointed superintendents had earned a higher degree, were slightly older, earned a higher salary, had more administrative experience prior to the superintendency, and had a higher preference for the appointment of the superintendent. The school systems with appointed superintendents had lower pupil/teacher ratios, fewer oversized classes, a higher per pupil expenditure, higher professional salaries, more schools accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, and recorded higher test scores. Pupils in school systems with appointed superintendents had significantly higher test scores on the language and mathematics sections of the Tennessee Proficiency Test, on the mathematics portion of the Basic Skills Test, and on the twelfth grade Stanford Test.