Drawing on relevant literature and a qualitative study of 13 women superintendents, this article explains why an ethic of care is essential. Many women in positions of power use a collaborative, social-production model because they are uncomfortable with a social-control model and because they believe relationships are important. Study…

Research has shown that women are underrepresented in positions of educational authority. This paper presents findings of a study that asked the following question: What is it about the regularities in discourse and practice in relationship to power in a particular community that would allow a woman to be selected for the superintendency, when…

This paper presents findings of a critical ethnography that examined the relationship between gender and the definition of power, and its use in the politicized role of the superintendent. Based on Stewart Clegg's (1988) conceptualization of power relationships as "circuits of power," the ethnography was conducted in a larger metropolitan area…

Aware of the invasive aspects of emancipatory research methods, the author constructed a classroom experience to expose her own use of power when conducting such projects. Her student participants had varied responses to a power definition/perception experiment: trapped, captured, and willing. (27 references) (MLH)

Many female administrators fear that white male culture will not allow them to be viewed as successful and powerful unless they behave as "ladies should." To explore such fears, this study examined the definition and application of power within the practice of women educational administrators. The purpose of the research was to construct a theory…

An emancipatory researcher morally committed to reciprocity, or sharing results with study participants, felt extremely uncomfortable when disclosing findings about power definitions to one friend and participant. Clearly, this participant felt betrayed, not emancipated, when findings were applied to her own situation. The researcher learned a…

Investigated how school superintendents defined and used power. Interviews with 47 superintendents nationwide and two other people from each school district indicated that the more strictly superintendents' definitions adhered to power as coming from or with others (rather than power over others), the more capable they were as collaborative…

Using Swindler's settled discourse theory, examined 12 women superintendents' discourse to determine whether patterns in their talk about work experiences contain events or episodes of inequality. Five topics emerged: power, silence, style, responsibility, and people. Each was analyzed to discover how women treated such experiences in their…

Though less reliant on military images, women administrators have also used, and been required to use, battle models of leadership. Those who operate under different leadership assumptions have only recently received professional acceptance. The work of Carlos Castenada reveals how the Yaqui Indians trained their spiritual leaders (their…