Wendt Selected for National Superintendent Certification Program

Provided by Oswego District 308

Last year, Community Unit District 308 School Board of Education sought the nation’s best to lead the district and selected Dr. Matthew Wendt as Superintendent of Schools. It was the right choice because soon his leadership will be nationally certified.

Dr. Wendt has been selected as one of 28 superintendents chosen in the inaugural class of the American Association of School Administrator’s (AASA) National Superintendent Certification Program. “We are delighted to welcome a talented individual like Dr. Wendt,” said AASA executive director, Daniel Domenech, noting that the competition was tough. “He was chosen from an applicant pool of nearly 80 men and women. He is to be congratulated.”

The program is a comprehensive professional development experience that offers best practice and relevant experiences to superintendents to sharpen their executive leadership skills. Spread over 18 months, the forums, seminars, webinars, simulations, and coaching and mentoring provide opportunities to define and examine with colleagues issues that surface in real life, on-the-job situations. 

In addition to Dr. Domenech, scheduled mentors and speakers include Dr. William R. Hite, Jr., Superintendent, School District of Philadelphia, Dr. John Deasy, Superintendent, Los Angeles Unified School District, and Dr. Terry Grier, Superintendent, Houston Independent School District. 

School District 308 Board President Bill Walsh said the district’s decision to hire “the best for the job” is validated by Dr. Wendt’s AASA selection. “It was crucial to have someone of his caliber to lead the district when we selected him last year, and he has done an exceptional job for the district from day one,” he said. “We recognized Dr. Wendt’s talent and ability to lead, and I am pleased to see the AASA recognizes it as well.”

The members of the first national cohort come from 19 states, with district student populations ranging from 1,000 to 43,000. The average student enrollment of a participating district is 8,000.

Dr. Wendt said he was both humbled and excited to be chosen to be a part of the inaugural group. “I look forward to learning, sharing, working and growing with this group of hard-working and well-respected individuals,” he said. “I also look forward to returning with what I have learned through this process to further help make District 308 a ‘world-class’ school district.”     

The program begins with a one week on-site seminar in Oceanside, CA, and will end at the AASA National Education Conference in February 2015.