ABSTRACT
Any field of research is concerned with some aspect of reality, the delineation of which defines its territory. Ideally, research in a new area aims at the creation of an increasingly refined map of its territory and, typically, research in a new field begins with a description of its territory (Kallos and Lundgren, 1975). It is approximately only five to ten years ago that research efforts were directed, in any concerted manner, beyond the building principal toward senior executives in school districts and their equivalents in central office agencies. From being an under-researched field, the American superintendency has now become a focal point for numerous studies, a selection of which is referenced in this book. These studies have advanced and refined our knowledge of the territory as well as providing us with directions for its further unfolding.
