Date of Award
8-2026
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Education (EdD)
Department
Executive Leadership
First Supervisor
Noelle Beale, PhD
Second Supervisor
Janice Kelly, EdD
Abstract
The 2021 closure of the Indian Point nuclear power plant eliminated approximately one third of a New York State school district’s revenue, producing a fiscal crisis that exposed a gap between what superintendent preparation programs teach and what the role demands. Grounded in Situated Learning Theory, this study examined whether the faculty composition of superintendent preparation programs, specifically the balance between practitioner faculty and academic faculty, was associated with graduates' perceived readiness, job satisfaction, and career longevity.
The study used a two-round modified Delphi design with an expert panel of 12 sitting New York State superintendents, 10 of whom completed the quantitative second round. Round one consisted of semi-structured interviews analyzed thematically; round two translated the resulting themes into a structured rating instrument measuring panel consensus. The panel reached consensus on nine of ten statements. The strongest result was unanimous agreement that faculty who have held the superintendency bring essential value to preparation, anchoring the study's central claim in the panel's own judgment.
The findings indicate that practitioner faculty function as the primary bridge between theoretical instruction and executive leadership readiness, and that mentorship and authentic field experience are the mechanisms through which that transfer occurs. The study recommends that New York State adopt faculty composition as a criterion in the program registration process for the new Superintendent Extension, that preparation programs embed structured executive mentorship within required coursework, and that statewide professional association infrastructure be used to connect sitting superintendents to preparation faculty roles.
Recommended Citation
Tromblee, Michael A., "Bridging the Theory-Practice Gap: A Delphi Study of Faculty Composition in New York State Superintendent Preparation Programs" (2026). Education Doctoral. Paper 660.
https://fisherpub.sjf.edu/education_etd/660
Please note that the Recommended Citation provides general citation information and may not be appropriate for your discipline. To receive help in creating a citation based on your discipline, please visit http://libguides.sjfc.edu/citations.