New Research on Equity in Principalships
Every once in a while, my (Lauren’s) work outside of Aequitas aligns with our mission here. Some of my recent research is particularly relevant not only to our goals for this organization but to some of the broader conversations taking place throughout our living rooms, office suites, and city council chambers. My coauthor, Sarah Guthery, and I just published a new paper. You can read the whole thing here (for free), but we have two main findings before we turn to some questions and answers:
Women and people of color have more years of instructional experience than their white, male peers before promotion to the assistant principalship.
Despite equivalent qualifications and more experience on average, women and black assistant principals are systematically delayed and denied promotions to principal when compared to their male or white counterparts.
You may be asking a number of questions about these two findings. Hopefully, I can answer some of them.
Q: Are you sure these findings aren’t due merely to difference in individuals’ aspirations to the principalship?
A: As sure as we can be. The candidates we included in the study had already attained a master’s degree and a principal’s license and were currently in assistant principalships. According to Texas law, these are the two things you need to be qualified for a principalship. Taken together, we think these characteristics indicate preparation for and aspiration to a principalship.
Q: What does the study find about the different experiences of white people and people of color?
A: People of color are less likely than white people to be promoted to a principalship at all. Recall that this is the case even though, on average, people of color have more instructional experience when they first become assistant principals. If they receive a promotion to a principalship, it takes an average of .60 years longer than for a white assistant principal.
Q: What does the study find about the different experiences of women and men?
A: We found different rates of both time to promotion and overall likelihood of promotion by gender in high school. This means that, even when women worked as assistant principals in high school (for a longer time and with more initial experience than their male counterparts), they were more likely to be promoted to principalships in elementary schools than in high schools.
Q: We sort of knew this right?
A: Yes, this is a case where anecdotal knowledge was very prevalent but this is just one of the papers that measures race- and gender-based gaps in school leadership positions. We do think this adds at least one important contribution. We find that diversity exists in the pipeline but that the pipeline tends to squeeze out women and people of color much earlier than studies of school leadership usually capture. Researchers have identified a gap in promotions at the top levels of education leadership such as principals and superintendents, and this study identifies inequities much earlier in the pipeline.
Q: What do we do about it?
A: A couple of things. First, mentor and sponsor women and people of color. Put them up for promotions if it’s within your power, but sponsorship, advocacy, and mentorship matter a lot. Otherwise, the school leadership pipeline is likely to be a function of the current leaders’ self-replication. Also: advocate for diversity in your local school. Public pressure, especially during the hiring process, might mean a woman or a person of color is more likely to get to the principal’s office.
If you have other thoughts about how to rectify this and other ongoing inequities, let us know in the comments.
-Lauren