When we think of a leader, do we think of a specific gender? Earlier this month, Amy’s blog, What do Shark Attacks Have to do with Superintendents?, discredited the myth that there is a substantial number of women in superintendent positions nationwide. Despite the teacher corps being overwhelmingly occupied by women, men comprise most of the administrative positions in public schools in the United States. Since the creation of the superintendency in the 1800s, women have never held a majority of those positions. In fact, throughout the twentieth century, men held 85% to 96% of all superintendent positions (Tallerico & Blount, 2004).

How do we account for this imbalance? Some pervading narratives hold that women are deterred by the challenges of the superintendency and the long hours required by the position. Specifically, they suggest that women are not sufficiently motivated to advance their careers. Data indicate the opposite - enrollment among women in educational administration programs has increased. There must then be other causes precluding women from reaching the superintendent’s office more often. We suggest here that, unchecked, contemporary philosophical and political pressures on schools may actually result in fewer women reaching the superintendency. This post takes a brief look at some historical features of education and the superintendency in order to make some recommendations for valuing and promoting all genders in leadership roles.

Institutions like schools and districts are expected to change throughout history. In a district, the conceptualization of a superintendent’s roles is not static but it does have implications for who is considered an expert with the capabilities to fulfill that role. The end of the twentieth century brought a new understanding of the superintendency—one that focused on the superintendent as a collaborator (Tallerico & Blount, 2004). Superintendents of the new millennium used “soft skills” such as of collaboration and problem solving to work with others, rather than manage others, as a way of connecting with stakeholders and communities. During this time, the number of women superintendents in the United States grew from just 10 percent of superintendents nationwide in 1998 (Tallerico & Blount, 2004) to 26.9 percent in 2015 (AASA, 2015). The changing conception of the position highlighted women’s aptitude for the role. Björk (2000) suggests that some characteristics frequently associated with female leaders (being understanding, sensitive, able to work as a team member, among others) aligned with “emerging demands for school reform” (p. 10) and this may have contributed to the rise in women occupying the superintendent position. As the superintendency was redefined to be a collaborative role, women who demonstrated that leadership style were more likely to be promoted to the position.

Now, the role of the superintendent is changing again. The business sector has had tremendous influence over the scope and vision of educational reforms throughout public education. In the same way that the 2000’s brought with them values of collaboration and problem solving, the current climate values competition, marketing, and public-private partnerships. Schools influenced by neoliberalism, a school of thought that redefines schools as commodities which must meet certain marketable standards, require an increase in partnerships with private sector companies. As a result, some schools, especially those in urban communities, are being redesigned largely by for-profit interests and superintendents with backgrounds in business management are becoming more popular. Unsurprisingly, those candidates tend to be male. (Only four in every ten grads with an MBA are female.) In the face of this philosophical shift, and the resultant shift in leadership priorities, we may see that the equity gains of the early 20th century are quickly erased.

Even in the face of increasing school privatization, school leaders continue to steer complex organizations. They must always be prepared to deploy a range of leadership styles and skills in order to successfully navigate the complex dilemmas that school systems face. It is imperative, then, that school leadership is construed as a broad collection of capabilities that can be carried out by different kinds of leaders. Superintendents in the 21st century certainly need to navigate the “ole boys” network to advocate for their schools and school districts, but now they also need to navigate immense political interests and pressures from the private sector. Now, picture a superintendent who can successfully navigate these relationships. Is she a woman? Of course, she can be! But the data tell us she is not likely to be unless we value skills brought by all genders to the role. The superintendency must not be reduced to an economic management position (Johnson, 2012).  

- Lisa

Works Cited

American Association of School Administrators. (2015). The Study of the American Superintendent 2015 Mid-Decade Update. Rowman & Littlefield Education.

Björk, L. (2001). Introduction: Women in the superintendency--advances in theory. Educational Administration Quarterly, 36(5), 5-17.

Catalyst. (2015). Women CEOS of the S & P 500. New York: Catalyst. Available at:http://www.catalyst.org/knowledge/women-ceos-sp-500

Glass, T. (2000, June). Where are all the women superintendents? The School Administrator, 57(6), Retrieved from http://aasa.org/SchoolAdministratorArticle.aspx?id=14492

Johnson, A. W. (2012). “Turnaround” as shock therapy: Race, neoliberalism, and school reform. Urban Education, 48(2), 232-256.

McGregor, J. (2013, September). The boardroom is still an old boy’s club. The Washington Post. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/on-leadership/wp/2013/09/25/corporate-boardrooms-are-still-old-boys-clubs/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.e2f3b67f8b2e

Murphy, H. (2018, March). Picture a leader. Is she a woman? The New York Times. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/16/health/women-leadership-workplace.html

Tallerico, M. & Blount, J. (2004). Women and the superintendency: Insights from theory and history. Educational Administration Quarterly 40(5): 633-662.