Chris Tranberg, Branford and Anna Cutaia, Milford at a network meeting
Twenty-five years ago, a small group of Connecticut superintendents and Andrew Lachman of Partners (then the Center for School Change) gathered around a question: What does it look like to make teaching and learning the most important work of a superintendent? They involved Harvard professor Richard Elmore, and the answer became the Superintendents’ Network.
Members join when recommended by another member and must be committed to leading for teaching and learning, attending every session, opening their schools to colleagues, and being willing to receive constructive feedback.
Here are some voices that reveal why Partners’ Superintendents’ Network has lasted 25 years and is still going strong:
Bob Villanova, 2000–2009
Network Charter Member
“I never missed a meeting from 2000 until 2009, when I retired as a superintendent and moved from being a participant to a Network leader. I’m a natural-born skeptic, and the Superintendents’ Network was by far the most important influence on me as a leader. By far.
When I became Director of the Executive Leadership Program at UConn’s Neag School of Education, I brought much of what the Network had developed into the program and made sure we emphasized the same central idea: teaching and learning must be the throughline of a superintendent’s work. We use the same case studies, the same language we used in the Superintendents’ Network. Today, more than half of Connecticut’s superintendents have gone through the program.”
Betty Feser, 2002–2018
Partners Staff Associate
“In 2003, I was a second-year superintendent invited to be a part of the Superintendents’ Network. It was immediately clear that standards for excellence were expected. I was so intimidated by the knowledge and expertise of those in the room. Learning from Andrew Lachman, Richard Elmore, and Richard Lemons, as well as several exemplary superintendents, was a true gift. I grew exponentially.
My fellow superintendents helped me become a deeper listener, learner, and leader. Without my engagement with the Superintendents’ Network, I would never have become the kind of leader I believe is needed in public education.
John Ramos, 2002–2011
Various Superintendencies
“I considered it to be an honor to have a seat at the Superintendents’ Network table. It was both refreshing and challenging to be among leaders who were so committed to the students and communities they served. The learning opportunity was unparalleled in terms of the theory being offered, applied, assessed, and continuously improved.
It was a stretch for me, as a superintendent with constant political and fiscal constraints, to sustain a sense of True North.”
Joe Macary, 2015–present
Middletown Public Schools
“Only other superintendents can understand what we go through. There’s a lot of power in networks, and we’re there for it. We jokingly say this is our AA meeting. It’s such a great place to learn and develop and grow. When I came to Middletown, one of my provisions was to have the Network be part of my contract, and the board agreed. That’s how important I feel the Network is.
Joe Macary, Middletown and Gary Highsmith, Hamden
I don’t have to wait once a month to see them. I’ll call them and we get together. The power of the Network is the informal conversations between meetings.”
Mark Benigni, 2011–present
Meriden Public Schools
“I’ve found great value in collaborating with and learning from my fellow district leaders across the state. Our discussions consistently reinforce our shared commitment to keeping students at the center of all our work and focusing on high-quality instruction at all levels.”
Paul Freeman, 2011–present
Guilford Public Schools
“I remember initially feeling out of place among some of the smartest and most successful superintendents in the state. Over time, the Network became the richest professional learning experience I have been part of. It’s a position-specific cohort. Every superintendent is singular and alone—it’s a function of the role we’re in. But here, you’re part of a cohort that shares your experiences.”
Craig Cooke, 2011–present
Madison Public Schools
“Everybody who gets into the Network understands that they’re going to be vulnerable at times. They’re opening up their schools, and you don’t know what will happen when you host a visit. It builds trust. No one pretends you have the answers. Barriers come down. The Network creates a space where we can take off the armor, ask questions, share challenges, and learn from one another.
We need to remind ourselves that all of the practical strategies are only in place in service of children’s learning. They’re only a means to an end. They’re not an end. Even the teachers’ contract, worth millions of dollars, is only there in service of children’s learning.”
Anna Cutaia, 2015–present
Milford Public Schools
“This is the one opportunity for professional growth that I always look forward to. It’s allowed me to find my people. We don’t always agree; we have a beautiful, healthy sparring. I throw my ideas out there and they’re not criticized. There’s this unconditional part of the culture that makes it something I want to go back to each month.
It’s such a high-performing badass group! And at the same time, it’s such a caring and empathetic place to be. We can be all that and be real. Sometimes, we can’t be that in our everyday jobs.
Sometimes it’s hard to draw the throughline from the superintendent’s office to the classroom. There are a lot of things that can get in the way. We openly talk about that. Something that’s hard to come by in the role is trust. A lot of our job is negotiating power, authority, and decision-making. Partners has figured out how to put relationships at the center of the work and build the work around them. That’s what makes it unique.”
Sasha Douglas, 2022–present
CREC
“As an early-career superintendent, the Network provides an example of what it means to stay focused on kids and learning as we navigate the political and fiscal climate. It’s really special.
The Superintendents’ Network has also done a good job of helping me integrate both the theoretical and the learning elements of the work into my everyday practice. It provides some really structured opportunities to be in critical friend groups where we are able to push each other’s thinking. I’ve especially appreciated the school visits; my role is to be a critical friend to another superintendent, but the visits are also learning experiences for me.”
Sam Galloway, 2023–present
Somers Public Schools
“I enjoy the academic community and camaraderie, the opportunity to visit classrooms in other districts, and especially the 3-day Harvard experience, where we talk about things outside the classroom. We go into a deep case study on an issue with a Harvard professor that takes us outside the education bubble to a larger problem set. In our work, we each have our respective communities, but at Harvard, we analyze a problem on a bigger scale and have a critical dialogue about how leaders built a coalition, obtained support and pushed the work forward. The analysis is really deep and detailed.”
Sam Galloway of Somers
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