Eight at the Top: A View Inside Public Education

There are over 15,000 superintendents leading school districts across the United States today. Yet, despite the high visibility and prestige of the position, what superintendents actually do, on a day-to-day basis, remains mysterious to the layman and even to those in the profession. This book, authored by eight California superintendents, is a narrative telling their stories_from the professional side as well as the personal. It traces their beginnings as teachers, follows their moves into administration, and looks at the skills that they use to communicate, analyze, and succeed.

Peggy Lynch recently retired after serving for nearly seven years as the superintendent of the San Dieguito Union High School District, located in the northern part of San Diego County. Prior to San Dieguito, she was the superintendent of Brea Olinda Unified School District in Orange County, California. Her career spans 38 years and includes middle and high school teaching, high school assistant principal and principal, and assistant superintendent.

Lynch served on the San Diego County Department of Education Achievement Gap Task Force, as well as other county advisory committees. She was also co-chair of the San Diego and Imperial counties superintendents group for Association of California School Administrators (ACSA). She has chaired the Superintendents' Symposium Committee for ACSA, as well as the organization's annual conference. In Orange County, she also chaired the county superintendents' organization. Her memberships include Southern California Superintendents, Suburban School Superintendents, American Association of School Administrators, and Association of California School Administrators.

She received her undergraduate degree from Parsons College in Iowa, her master's from California State University, Fullerton, and her doctorate from the University of La Verne.