This article examines high superintendency turnover through rural community members' perceptions of such attrition in their districts. Findings indicate that community members perceived high turnover as negative and believed that turnover was created by financial pressures, rural community resistance to educational trends, and bias against…

Background/Context: Educational leadership literature lacks research focused on how gender influences decision making, in particular at the highest level of school governance, the school board table. Consequently, whether gender makes a difference during decision making at the school board table has yet to be determined. Purpose/Objective/Research…

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to investigate differences and/or similarities between women's and men's career mobility toward the superintendency in terms of career pathways and movement patterns, with specific attention to women's career pathways as they correspond with their aspiration to the superintendency. Design/methodology/approach:…

The purpose of this essay is to examine and respond to Tom Glass's (2000) assertions about the dearth of women in the superintendency using the lenses of new data (from two large national studies) and analysis--an analysis that primarily focuses on women superintendents' and central office administrators' formal, experiential, and personal…

The intent of this article is to provide some evidence that decisions about the use of data are critical and can result in discourse that is inaccurate about and unsupportive of women and persons of color. Evidence is gathered through an examination of the published data used in "The Study of the American School Superintendency" (Glass, Bjork, &…

Most published research on the superintendency has failed to examine the voices of female superintendents. Today, white males make up approximately 85% of superintendents, rendering female responses to the superintendency almost non-existent. This study, commissioned by the American Association of School Administrators, provides a historical…

Illustrates how choices about which and how much data to publish can result in the reification of the status quo and/or generation of powerful new discourse that establishes the inclusive norms of a new genre of superintendency. (Contains 67 references.) (Author/PKP)

Presents results of a three-year qualitative study of 12 women superintendents to identify their ways of succeeding. Respondents successfully balanced role- and gender-related sets of expectations, focused on children, communicated effectively in a masculinized culture, incorporated traditionally feminine behaviors into their administrative role,…

Using a feminist postmodern perspective, examines excerpts from traditional superintendency texts and several samples of women superintendent narratives to consider whether a reconsideration of superintendency discourse could support a reconception of the superintendency. (Contains 80 references.) (PKP)

Risk-taking is a critical leadership factor neglected in educational literature. A four-year national study explored risk-taking in the narratives of 12 women superintendents. These women had life circumstances (community and challenge) and personal characteristics (courage and curiosity) that helped them relax and take risks. (60 references) (MLH)

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…

This paper uses the seven principles of "stalking," the cultural wisdom for training Yaqui Indian warriors as described by Carlos Castenada, as a framework for organizing insights shared by successful women superintendents. "Stalking" is a metaphor for the process through which women seek success as superintendents. The research used a modified…

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…

In a four-year study, an assistant professor of educational administration asked superintendents and their staffs to characterize superintendents' leadership styles. Definitions generally fell into the category "power over" rather than "power with/to." Superintendents must learn to speak about power as a collaborative concept,…