From preparation to implementation, math class to cheerleading tryouts, bus drivers to school board members, honoring traditions to innovating with new ideas, and historical knowledge to constant changes, Dr. Samuel A. DePaul shares his wealth of knowledge and experience to help guide current and future educational leaders. His advice, wisdom, and stories serve as an inspiration for those who continue to choose to lead our schools, staff, students, and communities.
— Dr. Laurie Barron, Superintendent of the Year, Montana 2020; National Middle School Principal of the Year, 2013
Samuel A. DePaul’s path to the superintendency is amazingly similar to mine, so his reflections really hit home for me. The practical takeaways he provides from his experiences are invaluable for any school leader. I only wish Perspectives and Reflections for the Superintendent: What Can Be Learned from Experience? would have been available before I became a superintendent.
— Wes Watts, superintendent, West Baton Rouge Parish; Superintendent of the Year, Louisiana 2022; host of “Testimonies Over Test Scores” podcast
In Perspectives and Reflections for the Superintendent: What Can Be Learned from Experience? Dr. Samuel A. DePaul offers good, no-nonsense advice for any school administrator, whether upcoming, brand new, or seasoned. He presents possible solutions to everyday problems in an easy-to-read format that outlines how becoming a successful administrator can be learned and mastered—thereby showing how any good leader can adapt techniques to help them be more successful. His focus on the superintendency role is especially invaluable and can possibly save superintendents from those missteps that often cause headaches and heartaches. It would behoove any administrator to put into practice the concepts included in this writing.
— Angela Mills Ed.D, retired assistant superintendent, North Carolina
Dr. DePaul provides a rare glimpse into the daily challenges for school superintendents. Sharing real-life scenarios and offering practical solutions, Perspectives and Reflections for the Superintendent reads like a collection of educational nuggets of wisdom for any aspiring or sitting superintendent. An easy, down-to-earth read with a wealth of perspective that one cannot get from attaining a traditional administration degree.
— Dan Matsook, retired superintendent, Central Valley School District; Pennsylvania DOE Financial Recovery Officer
Samuel A. DePaul shares highlights of his 30 years of experience as a superintendent in his book, Perspectives and Reflections for the Superintendent. Drawing on his service as the top leader in five different school districts in three states, DePaul provides examples of the opportunities and challenges faced by superintendents. While not exactly a how-to manual, DePaul not only points out some pitfalls to avoid but encourages several practices that assured him success in each of his five leadership positions. [I] highly recommend this work.
— School Administrator