Author : Deana Michelle Steeber
Publisher :
Page : 222 pages
File Size : 27,24 MB
Release : 2019
Category : Educational leadership
ISBN :
Author : Kristal Kay Buckles
Publisher :
Page : 362 pages
File Size : 45,1 MB
Release : 2009
Category : Women school superintendents
ISBN :
The purpose of this phenomenological study was to identify and to describe the personal and the professional career path experiences of female superintendents serving in high profile complex school districts in Texas. The guiding question was: what leadership behaviors were universal and essential to acquire and to sustain the position of superintendent? The qualitative study provided necessary insights into the superintendency and added to the scholarly literature that currently exists with an expectation that leads to a better understanding of female executives in public education. From the 152 female K-12 superintendents in North and Southeast Texas, six female superintendents participated in the study. The six superintendents were chosen based on the stratified purposeful sampling criteria. An interview protocol was used to conduct semi-structured open-ended interviews, which were digitally recorded and transcribed. Memoing was used to form the initial codes. The transcriptions were analyzed according to experiences and reported as themes. The findings suggested the superintendents found earning a doctorate degree essential for the position. Mentoring relationships were vital for success at each stage of their career. Gender discrimination had affected most of the superintendents at some point in their careers. Strong backgrounds in curriculum had made them better leaders. Informal networks created connections for formal networks to exist. Building and maintaining relationships in the educational setting as well as the community was imperative to influence others. Vital leadership characteristics included communication, vision, problem-solving, critical thinking and a risk taking. The five feminine attributes of collaboration, care, courage, intuition, and vision of leadership were a manifestation of the feminine experience and emerged as themes in the study. The experiences of the women in the study were examined through the feminine lens and were found to exhibit the leadership characteristics that fit the relational leadership paradigm.
Author : LaKeyshure Washington-Marzell
Publisher :
Page : 0 pages
File Size : 36,65 MB
Release : 2023
Category : Women school superintendents
ISBN :
A qualitative phenomenological study examined the challenges and barriers women superintendents encountered in their quest for and service as superintendents in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas. Women make up most teaching positions today, but men dominate the superintendent’s office. A correlation should exist between the number of women teachers and the number of women leaders. However, women account for less than one-quarter of superintendents in the United States, while men occupy most positions. A qualitative research design was employed to gain a deeper understanding of the problem. After gathering information from research participants, I performed an interpretative phenomenological analysis to identify the commonalities among human experiences. A demographic information survey and semistructured interviews were used to collect data. Social role theory and role congruity theory provide the framework for explaining the barriers preventing women from ascending to supervisory positions and strategies to mitigate them. There were recurring themes revealed in the responses of these seven women, which provided answers to these two research questions. Themes discussed throughout this section were (a) agentic versus communal disposition, (b) stereotypical viewpoint stereotyping, (c) familial commitments, (d) gender socialization, (e) good ole boys’ network, (f) harassment and career assassination (backlash effect), (g) recruitment practices (glass ceiling), (h) school board relations, and (i) mentoring. Through sharing the perception of senior level leaders experiences, potential strategies for breaking through the glass ceiling may be developed. Keywords: career pathway, career preparation, educational leaders, gender disparity, gender equality, gender inequality, glass ceiling, glass cliff, internal and external barriers, lacking, mentors, missing, obstacles, women, superintendency, superintendent, strategies, recruitment, role model, selection, and underrepresentation
Author : Melissa Egri McCauley
Publisher :
Page : 220 pages
File Size : 25,30 MB
Release : 2019
Category : Career development
ISBN :
This research explored lived experiences of female superintendents to understand factors that supported or created barriers for women in their career advancement while becoming a superintendent. A phenomenological study design framework was applied to the research to explore the journey women faced including the successes, struggles, and level of support they experienced during their career paths. Background research examined leadership roles, which address gender bias, ratio of female to male principals and superintendents, and other gender specific issues. In this study, seven female superintendents in the state of Pennsylvania were interviewed using a semi-structured one-on-one interview process. From the data, four themes emerged including, (a) Challenges They Faced, (b) Finding Balance, (c) Supporting Factors, and (d) Positive Attributes of the Job . A few recommendations to help increase the number of females in leadership positions include the concept of networking with other females for support purposes and to create a mentoring program that could be implemented by any school district nationwide.
Author : Lisa Ann McCool
Publisher :
Page : 232 pages
File Size : 42,91 MB
Release : 2012
Category :
ISBN :
The purpose of this study was to examine the self-perception of leadership styles of practicing female superintendents in Texas and how their preferred leadership style affected their performance. The study posed the following questions:(1) What are the preferred leadership styles of the practicing female superintendents in Texas as measured by Bolman & Deal's (2003) four frames of leadership? (2) What are the predominant behaviors that female superintendents in Texas identify within each frame of leadership? (3) How do the preferred leadership styles and behaviors influence the superintendents' every day performance? This study was relied on a mixed method approach, quantitative and qualitative. The quantitative component involved surveying 50 female superintendents, using the Leadership Orientations (Self-Report) survey (Bolman & Deal, 1990). The qualitative component included a semi-structured interview which asked follow up questions with six selected female superintendents (two from rural, two from suburban, and two from urban districts) who consented to the interview regarding the influence of their leadership preferences. The findings suggest participants' preferred leadership style relates to the Human Resource frame which include: being an inspirational leader, utilizing interpersonal skills, making good decisions; as well as, coaching and developing people. Findings also suggest that predominant behaviors include: supporting others, building trusting relationships through collaboration, and being participative. The preferred leadership styles and behaviors' influence on female superintendents' everyday performance resulted in embracing collaboration, being transparent, sharing a vision, being passionate, and building trusting relationships. Additionally, beliefs and behaviors that lead to success include: being honest, depersonalize the situations, education makes a difference, adopt flexibility, and power to make decisions. The characteristics that lead to success are: being spiritual, being organized, being committed, and willing to help others. Furthermore, the following advice was offered: learn to cope with high level of visibility, become knowledgeable of the district's needs and characteristics, and develop a professional image. Finally, implications for aspiring female superintendents, superintendent preparation programs and school boards members are also presented.
Author : Maria Reyes Rodriguez-Casas
Publisher :
Page : 282 pages
File Size : 35,4 MB
Release : 2004
Category : Women school superintendents
ISBN :
Author : Terri Cabbell Benson
Publisher :
Page : pages
File Size : 25,40 MB
Release : 2013
Category :
ISBN :
In Texas, women account for 75% of educators and 18% of superintendents of public school systems. The purpose of this study was to identify career pathways of six female Texas superintendents and their perceptions of barriers and successes in ascension to superintendency. Participants were six female Texas school superintendents who responded to a survey instrument and participated in a focus group process. Responses were categorized into themes and codes to illuminate participant perceptions of pathways, barriers, and successes in the superintendency. Results indicated that facilitating factors were family support, prior experience, and doctoral education. Participants claimed no overt barriers. However, identified inadvertent barriers were familial obligations and societal expectations of women. These results indicate the need for the identification of future leaders using the identified external and internal influences for women and then the utilization of mentorship and guidance along appropriate career pathways in order to facilitate career advancement.
Author : Donna Otterman Porter
Publisher :
Page : 414 pages
File Size : 25,25 MB
Release : 2012
Category : Educational leadership
ISBN :
The purpose of this study was to examine the perceptions of three female superintendents in Texas in regard to their leadership qualities and to provide women information to assist in conceptualizing female leadership qualities that are needed to lead a school. Through a postmodern feminist lens, the study explored the history of women and their struggle for equality from its emergence to the present. A qualitative portraiture research method was used to collect information from these women and record their found stories. Data collection methods included interviews, observations and review of relevant artifacts. Through crystallization, whereas data is complemented and enhanced by including select genres, the resonating voices of these women communicated their gained insight concerning their leadership characteristics. Findings identified six leadership qualities possessed by all of the participants and provided insight to other qualities that are perceived as being noteworthy for superintendents to possess.
Author : Kristina J. Martineau (Ed.D. candidate at the University of Hartford)
Publisher :
Page : 286 pages
File Size : 44,82 MB
Release : 2018
Category : Educational leadership
ISBN : 9780438107205
A gendered narrative that excludes the experiences, perspectives, and voices of women superintendents has dominated research regarding leadership development, leadership theory, and the school superintendency. The purpose of this qualitative, phenomenological study was to provide women superintendents an opportunity to share their lived experiences of about leadership development and leading as superintendent. The researcher used a qualitative, phenomenological design to develop the methodology for this study. The following research questions further guided this study: 1. How do experiences inform our understanding of the leadership development of women who became superintendents? 2. How do women superintendents describe their lived experiences of leading in their role as superintendent of schools? Baxter Magolda’s (2001) theory of self-authorship served as the conceptual framework for this study to examine the leadership development and the leadership experiences of women superintendents. Baxter Magolda’s theory of self-authorship comprises four phases of development: 1) following formulas; 2) crossroads; 3) becoming author of one’s life; and 4) internal foundation. The participants in this study included ten women superintendents. Participants engaged in individual, open-ended interviews about their leadership development and leadership experiences as superintendents. The data were analyzed using a qualitative, phenomenological method. From this phenomenological data analysis, the researcher presented findings, conclusions, and recommendations. The findings of this study revealed that women’s experiences of leadership development and leading as superintendents are complex. The women in this study shared a multifaceted approach to leadership grounded in their values and beliefs about instructional leadership, relational leadership, and collaborative leadership.
Author : Kerry Kathleen Robinson
Publisher :
Page : pages
File Size : 23,93 MB
Release : 2013
Category : Career development
ISBN :
This qualitative study used a phenomenological approach to determine the reasons why women leave the superintendency. This study not only illustrated the different ways a woman can leave the position of superintendent but also the reasons she would choose to leave. These reasons can be either positive or negative, but they rarely are the sole cause for why a woman leaves the position. This interview study of 20 female participants who served as superintendent in the Commonwealth of Virginia identified four main themes as to why a woman chose to leave the superintendency. These included: (a) it wasn0́9t the job I thought it would be; (b) the struggles with family; (c) taking care of herself; and (d) I0́9m not the right fit for the community. The study also identified the routes women take to leave the superintendency which include retirement, leaving for another superintendency, movement into another position within PK-12, opportunity in higher education, working as an educational consultant, or moving into a position outside of education.
