Book excerpt: The Savvy Superintendent examines the art of district leadership from the perspective of top practitioners in the field of education. Insights and comments from in-depth interviews with over fifty current and former successful superintendents_including American Association of School Administrators (AASA) Superintendents of the Year and runners up for the award_are woven throughout the narrative to exemplify best-in-class, real-world applications of the behaviors, attitudes, and attributes that great instructional leaders employ as they carry out their most important work: instructional leadership. This book provides practical, hands-on advice for school district superintendents. It is designed to provide needed but rarely taught ideas, insights, and information that superintendents can use to incorporate effective practices into their own school districts.