Education Leadership Graduate Assistant Contributes to National Superintendent Study  

Doctoral student Li Kang, M.A. '19, assisted on a nation-wide analysis of superintendent salaries and benefits.

Education Leadership Graduate Assistant Li Kang was part of a research team that conducted the American Association of School Administrators (AASA) 2021-2022 Salary and Benefits Study.

The study team was led by Christopher Tienken, Associate Professor of K-12 Education Leadership, Policy, and Management at Seton Hall. The team also included Tara Thomas, Policy Analyst from AASA, and Dr. George Petersen, Founding Dean of the College of Education at Clemson University.

The study is conducted annually and is the largest investigation of superintendent compensation carried out in the United States. The American Association of School Administrators (AASA) had conducted a comprehensive and scholarly study of the salary and benefits packages of the American school superintendent on a yearly basis since 2012, although the first such study was launched in 1999. This proprietary project serves to describe, document, and offer valuable analysis of the changing landscape of superintendent compensation.

The study provides superintendents with actionable information needed to manage and negotiate their compensation and benefits. The results were presented at the AASA National Conference on Education in Nashville, TN, in February, 2022. Superintendents and state school administrator associations regularly use the results from the study for contract negotiations. The large amount of data collected results in a rich database that is often used by academics for secondary analyses.

Li Kang is currently a graduate assistant in the Department of Education Leadership, Management, and Policy as he pursues his Ph.D. in Higher Education. He is conducting a quantitative study on the relationships between test-optional policies in higher education and structural diversity in the U.S. selective institutions. Kang is a 2019 graduate of the Asian Studies program at Seton Hall University.

Categories: Education