This report focuses on the instructional leadership role of the school superintendent and recommends an operational model superintendents should follow to produce an effective academic environment for elementary and secondary students. Americans' concern about quality of education can be addressed by informative study of successful management of large corporations. Literature on improved teaching, effective schools, and school management is also useful. The study presents recommendations for staff recruitment and training and for face-to-face interactions among superintendents, principals, and teachers. The superintendent's operational model is enhanced by control of the educational management team. Expectations about change should be tempered by the fact that public schools differ from private organizations. A corporation's chief executive officer is virtually a permanent fixture whereas the typical superintendent has a three-year contract period in which to show success for long-range plans. School are governed by public laws and procedures in contrast to the absence of such requirements in the private sector. Schools using the proposed management model, however, reveal superior results over time. A program developed for schools at Richmond, Virginia, embodies many of the report's recommendations. Twenty-seven references are included. (CJH)