Ed Pajak was a gifted scholar, caring mentor to many, and generous and thoughtful individual to all. Ed took his advisor's, Art Blumberg, work and did what we as major professors dream about for our students. He extended Blumberg’s work into novel ways of understanding teachers through their psychological profiles, their depiction in the media, and school interpersonal interactions that lead to or blocked professional development.
Ed’s first book The Central Office Supervisor: Setting the Stage for Success written in 1988. In this book, Ed wrote that if supervisors do their jobs well, they purposefully become invisible to the public. He used the term “backstage,” never hogging the limelight, instead giving the front stage to teachers to be duly honored and respected. That was Ed to the bone. His form of leadership was back stage coaching, and mentoring to help students and peers shine.
After leaving the University of Georgia in 2001, Ed had thirteen incredibly productive years in major leadership roles at the Johns Hopkins University.
Ed’s supervision books have included:
Handbook of Research on School Supervisionco-authored with Gerald R. Firth in 1998.
Approaches to Clinical Supervision: Alternatives for Improving Instruction in 1999
Honoring Diverse Teaching Styles: A Guide for Supervisors in 2003
Supervising Instruction: Differentiating for Teacher Success in 2008
I want you to view the front page of the Johns Hopkins College of Education web site as school began this fall semester. Such pushing Ed into the spotlight shows the regard that Johns Hopkins had for him. The announcement under the picture said:
“School of Education Professor Edward Frank Pajak, widely admired by faculty, staff, and students for his scholarship, humility and sense of humor, died Thursday, August 7, at his home surrounded by family."
- Written by Carl Glickman in memory of Edward Pajak, Jr. Tribute presented at the annual COPIS meeting on October 18, 2014 in Atlanta, Georgia.