Superintendent Jim Rigg of the Archdiocese offers an illuminating look at what it takes to be a successful superintendent. As the overseer of the nation’s largest Catholic school system, he is responsible for nearly 217 schools and just under 80,000 students. Rigg tries to spend one day each week visiting 3-4 schools in order to keep his finger on the pulse and to see the “genuine lived reality” of his schools. And he shows a remarkable understanding of the science and art of managing a school system.
The science? Rigg has helped pioneer the movement toward measuring school vitality. Growing out of their strategic plan, the schools’ office measures the operational, faith, and educational vitalities of their school. Providing a scorecards, or metrics, the measures drive the turnaround program which is designed to allocate strategic resources to schools in need. But how do you know where the most pressing need exists?
The measures of school vitality measure the enrollment management, cost per student, the market potential, and the financial & operations realities of the schools. There is a data-driven way to measure the strengths of the schools. In the same way, his office has developed the strength of a school’s Catholic identity and educational programs. This is a remarkable effort that has caught on as school systems have embraced data-driven measures.
The science of data only really works if you are able to direct strategic resources to those schools in need. But Rigg admits that managing schools is also an art and can’t always be quantified.
The art of school management requires more than metrics. It involves effective leadership selection and formation, quality professional development, and visioning for the future. Rigg embraces both science and art in promoting school improvement, long-term sustainability, and increased enrollment.
Listen to the podcast directly here or on iTunes here. Rigg’s podcast also fits in well with other superintendent interviews such as Kevin Baxter (Los Angeles), Anna Larriviere (Lafayette), Chris Mominey (Philadelphia), Mary Beth Mueller (Phoenix), Julie Vogel (Houston), and Kathy Mears (Boston).
Dr. Tim's Blog 
In my day there were no nerds, young students who took advance science and math courses were just labeled as BANANAS—but not according to my Mexican dad who believed hard work on the farm was the cure for all “ills,” including his son who came out of chemistry thinking I’d blow up a few trees using what I learning in class. After a good whipping, dad said to me “Your professor forgot to tell you that everything you learn will be art (judgment), and science (assessment).”
An Oxford professor once said, “Numbers can ‘figure’ life out, but only words can ‘elaborate on the solution’ of living.” It took me a long time to understand sometimes numbers are mystical, not only mathematical. For example, Mother Teresa was often criticized for the “insignificant scale” of work she and the Sisters of Charity undertook in the face of great need. Upon receiving a humanitarian award, Mother Teresa said: “It is statistically true what we achieve is little or even negligible. But then Christianity is not a statistical view of life. Christianity is an anti-statistical proposition. Welfare is for a purpose—an admirable and necessary one–whereas Christian love is for a person. The one is about ‘numbers,’ the other is about a man who was also God.”
Now, what does all this art as judgment, science as assessment, numbers as mystical and not just mathematical–have to do with who superintendents, principals and even educators are, what they do, and the metrics they measure?
All decision-makers and influences for a school must contribute to developing a world-class faculty, dynamic educational programs for students, ensure campus esprit de corps, keep the campus safe, get the academic and sports teams to the finals, speak like scholars, think like gamblers, preside like Solomon, know every student and parent, talk with gardeners, rescue crumbling infrastructure, quadruple the endowment, balance the budget, construct the needed building, and never, ever, appear to be controlling, impatient, angry or tired.
Is trying to fulfill these functions preposterous or daunting? Do these functions cause overworked superintendents, principals and even teachers? And, does it take enormous energy to manage and achieve school goals?
Yes, the art and science of managing a school or many schools can be challenging, but it can also be FUN. And here’s why: Leadership is about experiencing and experimenting. When we truly experience something, there is a backward and forward connection between what we do to things and what we enjoy from things in consequence. Thoughts come back to us in new and exciting forms: We see old landscapes with NEW eyes. We see and learn and enjoy what we are experiencing—and get engaged in experimentation. The outcome is we get more done, our results are better, and ultimately enhanced assessment (science) and judgment (art) is fostered.
Oops. Did I leave out increasing enrollment? When our staff, program, school, and WE are bettered—the community and all of the parents and students will know it, and they’ll come.