Abstract
Purpose. The purpose of the study was to identify the leadership orientations of superintendents who had completed the Association of California School Administrators' Small School District Superintendents Academy (SSDSA) training program and to compare the leadership orientations of these superintendents with a representative sample of superintendents who had determine whether there was a significant difference among the leadership orientations of SSDSA-trained superintendents and superintendents who have not been so trained. Methodology. Causal-comparative and descriptive research were used for a random sample of fifty-five of 539 California small school district superintendents and the entire population of fourteen superintendents trained by the ACSA Small School District Superintendents Academy. An 83 percent response rate was obtained. The survey instrument used was the Leadership Orientations--Self questionnaire developed by Bolman and Deal. Descriptors of age, gender and years of experience as a superintendent were also collected in order to more clearly describe the respondents. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, two-tailed t-tests of differences, a Mann-Whitney U, and chi-square tests of differences (with Yate's correction). Findings and conclusions. The research questions sought to determine what the leadership orientations were for each group of small district superintendents and if there was a significant difference between the two groups. This research found that there were no significant differences between the two groups of small school district superintendents. The profile of the typical small school district superintendent was: male, fifty-one to fifty-five years of age, experience as a superintendent of over eight years, with a human resources frame as his primary leadership orientation. While not significant in difference, the research determined that the SSDSA-trained superintendents were more likely to be younger, female, and have less experience as a superintendent.