A Multiple Regression Analysis of Factors Concerning Superintendent Longevity and Continuity Relative to Student Achievement.

The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the relationship between the length of superintendent tenure, longevity, and continuity relative to student achievement as evidenced by the 2008-2009 3rd Grade New Jersey Assessment of Skills and Knowledge (NJASK) in language arts. Achievement in the study was defined as those students who scored "proficient'' or better on the 2008-2009 New Jersey Assessment of Skills and Knowledge in grade 3 language arts. This study used existing empirical data from the New Jersey School Report Card and Data Universe. To put this relationship into better context, the researcher used eight predictive variables in this study: Total Student Population, Eligible for Free Lunch, Eligible for Reduced Lunch, Limited English Proficient (LEP), Attendance, Experience as a Superintendent, Educational Experience in New Jersey, and Total Educational Experience. The researcher focused on New Jersey School Districts in the lower socio-economic categories of A-CD. In the District Factor Grouping (DFG) of A-CD the researched examined all 161 A-CD school districts in New Jersey. 19 Districts were removed based on the removal criterion and not having data on the New Jersey School Report Card and Data Universe. The study then examined the remaining 142 A-CD school districts in New Jersey. As part of the conceptual framework the researched looked to build upon the research of the Mid-Continent Research for Education and Learning's (McREL)) School District Leadership That Works; The Effects of Superintendent Leadership on Student Achievement; A Working Paper (Waters and Marzano, 2006). As the researcher examined and analyzed The School District Leadership That Works, A Working Paper, Waters and Marzano published District Leadership That Works, Striking The Right Balance (Marzano and Waters, 2009). The researcher examined four main findings: Finding 1 : Does district leadership matter? Finding 2: Effective superintendents focus their efforts on creating goal oriented districts which include the following: collaborative goal setting, non-negotiable goals for achievement and instruction, board alignment and support of district goals, monitoring goals for achievement and instruction, and the use of resources to support achievement and instruction goals. Finding 3: Superintendent tenure is positively correlated with student achievement. Finding 4: Defined autonomy. The backward method of multiple regression was utilized to analyze these data. Before performing the analysis, the researcher first checked to ensure that the assumption of no multicollinearity (heavily related variables) had been met. From this analysis all eight predictive variables were retained as no relationships between them were found to be too strong. As this check was completed, the backward method of multiple regression analysis was performed. The method of multiple regression sought to create the most closely related model. Results from this study revealed that 3 of the eight predictive variables were statistically significant at the . 05 level. The most statistically significant variable was students in district who qualified for Free and Reduced Lunch (.000). In terms of looking at the superintendent's tenure, continuity and longevity which was the focus o the study, only experience in New Jersey (.018) was found to be statistically significant. The other factors of longevity in district Experience in Education (.609) as well as Experience as Superintendent in District (.702) did not have a statistically significant impact on the dependent variable student achievement. Insights gained by this investigation will provide opportunities for those interested in the superintendency to determine if they will have a direct impact on student academic achievement. Looking at the predictive variables that most impact student academic achievement at the superintendent level will greatly guide future and practicing superintendents as they develop strategic plans to improve student academic achievement on the New Jersey Assessment of Skills and Knowledge in grade 3 language arts.