PROVIDENCE — It’s no surprise that a former military leader with proven managerial skills was chosen as the district’s next superintendent of schools.

During the past 10 years, between 15 percent and 20 percent of the nation’s big-city superintendents have come from non-traditional backgrounds, according to Michael Casserly, executive director of the Council of Great City Schools. No longer are school leaders expected to rise through the ranks, a trajectory followed by Supt. Donnie Evans, who began his career as a math teacher and punched every ticket before becoming Providence’s superintendent 2½ years ago.

Now, school leaders come from the law, from community colleges and universities, from nonprofit organizations and from nearly every branch of the military.

In New York City, Supt. Joe Klein was a federal prosecutor and the leaders of school districts in Los Angeles, San Diego, Seattle and Philadelphia have, at one time or another, hailed from the military or the legal profession.

“First of all, pedagogy is not rocket science,” said Timothy G. Quinn, managing director of the Broad Superintendent Academy. “You don’t need to grow up in an educational institution to understand teaching and learning. A superintendent has to be a CEO. It really takes someone who is politically savvy, thick-skinned, passionate about doing what’s right for kids and has the know-how to manage complex systems.”

Thomas M. Brady, who was named the district’s new superintendent on Tuesday, has those kinds of skills, according to Quinn and Casserly. Brady spent a year at the Broad Superintendent Academy in 2004 and Casserly worked with Brady while he was chief operating officer in Washington, D.C., and Fairfax County, Va.

No organization does a better job of teaching and learning than the military, Quinn said. One of the key books used by the Broad academy is Victory in our Schools, which was written by retired Army Maj. Gen. John Stanford, who shook up the Seattle schools during the 1990s.

Providence, Quinn said, needs someone who can get it done. All too often, non-academic issues such as transportation and personnel management sidetrack what’s happening in the classroom.

Just last week, the Council for Great City Schools reported that the Providence school district’s human resources department is so woefully inadequate that it is barely able to perform the most basic functions.

In January, more than 2,200 teachers and administrators were notified that the School Department had failed to deduct the full FICA payments for the previous year. (FICA, the Federal Insurance Contribution Act, finances Social Security and Medicare). The miscalculation was caused by a computer programming glitch in the human resources department.

Brady addressed his apparent lack of academic experience in an interview with The Journal. A large urban school district needs someone who can manage complex systems, he said. It needs someone who can define the district’s mission, then tap the right people to see that those goals are achieved.

Brady has certainly had experience running big systems. As the commander of Fort Belvoir, Va., he oversaw a $770-million budget, $94 million in contracts and more than 20,000 residents. In his current position as interim superintendent in Philadelphia, Brady is responsible for running the eighth-largest school district in the country. And as the chief operating officer of the District of Columbia public schools, he managed a $1 billion budget.

“His interpersonal and political skills are truly outstanding,” Casserly said. “He’s a guy who people like, who’s very accessible. He’s got solid political instincts, all of which he’ll need in Providence.”

From Diana Lam to Donnie Evans, Providence has had a history of strong instructional leaders, according to state Education Commissioner Peter McWalters, who attributes the latest gains in elementary and middle school scores to that leadership.

The district, he said, doesn’t need another education wizard. It needs a superintendent who can deliver the textbooks on time, someone who can sign a contract with teachers and find savings in the midst of a budget crisis.

“Tom Brady is not coming here with all of the answers,” McWalters said. “He’s coming here to build relationships. He’s said, ‘I’m going to listen.’ ”

lborg@projo.com