Transfer Theory and the Superintendent Certification

     The Lamar University requirement that candidates for the superintendents’ certification have at least one year of experience as a campus level administrator before enrollment in the course of study is rooted in a belief in the tenets of “transfer theory of learning.”  Transfer theory is the belief that learning is dependent upon an individual’s ability to apply knowledge and skills learned and applied successfully in one context to a slightly different context with some level of success. Originators of the theory believe that the transfer of knowledge and skills to a different context is the corner stone of all learning.

     An example of transfer theory in action is a young child who is taught to recognize their family poodle as a dog. Later when that same child is in the park and approached by another family’s cocker spaniel, the child says, “doggie!” Another example is when a student learns to throw and catch a balloon in a pre-k physical education class and uses the same skill to throw and catch a playground ball in kindergarten physical education. A more academic example is when a student learns that a noun is a word that identifies a person, place, or thing and correctly identifies that the word “cat” is a noun. Later, the same student uses their knowledge of words to identify the word “rabbit” as a noun.

     Essentially, the requirement for one year of administrative experience before enrolling in the superintendents’ course is rooted in the belief that in order to learn the concepts associated with serving effectively as a superintendent, one must have similar experiences on which to base construction of knowledge that will be used in district level leadership. For instance, a leader who has experience with campus level budget management will more easily be able to learn and understand the management of a district budget. A leader who has experience with the process of development of a campus vision will more readily understand the development process of a district vision. While the development of skills and knowledge needed to be a successful superintendent can probably be gained without experience at the campus level, those who do have experience with leadership in education should more easily be able to learn this set of knowledge and skills. The world of education is a uniquely and intensely human endeavor. The dynamics and intricacies of working with people, budgets, vision, resources, and instruction in the world of education are very different from leadership in other industries. To enter the role of superintendent without prior experience in education leadership would be similar to entering a military command without experience in military leadership.