I ushered in 2017 with an optimistic conversation with Dan Domenech, Executive Director of The School Superintendents Association (AASA) on the subject of increased engagement between superintendents in this country. AASA membership has benefited greatly from the strength of improved collaboration and sharing. Subject areas such as digital learning, personalized learning, and early childhood eduction have better developed from a joint approach to information and ideas. Most importantly, Domenech is excited to see superintendents exerting their leadership through the collaborative process.
One program of particular interest to Domenech is the Urban Superintendent Academy, a training school bringing opportunity to minority candidates. The idea came about through the shocking realization that although nearly 50% of urban schools were minority, only 4% of superintendents were Latino or African American. By partnering with Howard University in Washington, DC and the University of Southern California (USC), the Academy has already seen 7 graduates of the program hired as superintendents, with no shortage of applicants on the horizon.
Domenech believes the success of the Superintendent Academy is due to a secret ingredient: faculty. Successful minority superintendents are part of the training, coaching and mentoring of Academy members. These prominent superintendents take time out of their busy schedules to realistically describe the atmosphere and challenges of urban school environments, further preparing the academy students for success after graduation. Domenech also credits the AASA Women In School Leadership Initiative as a successful predecessor. To this date, women hires in superintendent positions have climbed to 25% with percentages rising.
In addition to the urban school program, Domenech is proud of the National Superintendents Certification Program now in its 4th year. The certification program is open to superintendents with 5 years or less of professional experience and represents the true "up and comers" in the field. The program is comprised of students fully entrenched in the 21st-century mindset of technology, social media, communication, and collaboration. According to Domenech, these students have different skills and modus operandi that set-up nicely for success in the future.
Interview
Daniel A. Domenech has served as executive director of the American Association of School Administrators since July 2008. Domenech has more than 36 years of experience in public education, twenty-seven of those years served as a school superintendent.
Prior to joining AASA, Domenech served as senior vice president for National Urban Markets with McGraw-Hill Education. In this role, he was responsible for building strong relationships with large school districts nationwide.
Prior to his position at McGraw-Hill, Domenech served for seven years as superintendent of the Fairfax County, Va., Public Schools, the 12th largest school system in the nation with 168,000 students.
Domenech began his teaching career in New York City, where he taught sixth grade in a predominantly black and Hispanic community in South Jamaica, Queens. He then became program director for the Nassau Board of Cooperative Educational Services, which is the largest intermediate school district in the State of New York. Following this, he was first named superintendent of schools for Long Island’s Deer Park Schools and then became superintendent of schools for the ethnically diverse South Huntington School District, also on Long Island -- a position he held for 13 years. From 1994 to 1997, he was district superintendent of the Second Supervisory District of Suffolk County and chief executive officer of the Western Suffolk BOCES.
Domenech, an AASA member since 1979, served as president of AASA from July 1998 to June 1999. He is also a past president of the New York State Council of School Superintendents, the Suffolk County Superintendents Association, and the Suffolk County Organization for Promotion of Education. He was the first president and cofounder of the New York State Association for Bilingual Education.
In addition, Domenech has served on the U.S. Department of Education’s National Assessment Governing Board, the advisory board for the Department of Defense schools, the board of directors of the Association for the Advancement of International Education, the Board of Overseers for the Baldrige Award and the boards of the Institute for Educational Leadership, National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, Sea Research Foundation, and Education Policy Institute. Currently, he serves on the boards of the Learning First Alliance, National Student Clearinghouse, Center for Naval Analyses, Horace Mann Educators Corporation, ACT, USAC, and board chair for Communities in Schools of Virginia.
He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Hunter College in New York City and a Ph.D. from Hofstra University in Uniondale, N.Y
Follow Dan Domenech on Twitter
More Articles and Information:
Dan Domenech Blog: Letter To Donald Trump
District Administration: New Study Explores the Changing Face of the Superintendent
The Huffington Post: Community Connections For Students And Schools
About Rod Berger, PsyD.
Dr. Rod Berger is President and CEO of MindRocket Media Group. Berger is a global education media personality and strategic influencer featured in The Huffington Post, Scholastic, AmericanEdTV, edCircuit and in EdTechReview India and soon to be a regular contributor with Forbes.
Audiences have enjoyed education interviews with the likes of Sir Ken Robinson, Arne Duncan, Randi Weingarten, Sal Khan along with leading edtech investors, award-winning educators, and state and federal education leaders. Berger’s latest project boasts a collaboration with AmericanEdTV and CBS’s Jack Ford.
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