Foundations Seek To Expand Pool of City School Chiefs

A plan to increase rapidly the number of candidates ready and able to seek jobs as urban superintendents has attracted the support of five major foundations.

"Superintendents Prepared," a joint project of three Washington-based research and consulting organizations, is designed to move 90 highly qualified educators and other professionals into positions as urban school chiefs over the next three years.

It will be supported with more than $2.3 million in grants from the DeWitt Wallace Reader's Digest Fund, the Pew Charitable Trusts, and the Ford,...