PAPERBACK ISBN: 0-88258-232-1       $34.95

288 pages; 5.5 x 8.5 inches

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Messiah or Scapegoat?

by Hugh J. Scott

The Black School Superintendent: Messiah or Scapegoat examines the emergence of blacks as leaders of the nation’s public schools from a distinctive perspective. Its author, Hugh J. Scott, spent three turbulent years as superinten­dent of schools in Washington, D.C.  Scott contends that the near disintegration of public schools in the 1960s raised mingled voices both in the search for a mes­siah and in the pursuit of a scapegoat in countless school systems across the country.  He presents case studies of seven black educators who in the 1970s served at the helms of systems in Macon County, Alabama; the District of Columbia; Wilmington, Delaware; Atlanta, Georgia; Baltimore, Mary­land; Highland Park, Michigan; and Newark, New Jersey, to reveal the mag­nitude and complexity of the problems these superintendents inherited.  By delving into their philosophies and examining the minor skirmishes and major confrontations that kept these seven men and women at the center of controversy, Scott exposes the contradictions between the burgeoning expectations and the limits of authority black superintendents face. The Black School Superintendent: Messiah or Scapegoat crystallizes the es­sence of relationships between black superintendents and school board members, community leaders, and government officials.

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