The purpose of this study was to examine the lived experiences of Black/ African American women aspiring, serving, or having previously served in the role of Superintendent of Schools in the State of Texas. Additionally, the study investigated the perceived barriers and challenges that impacted the participant's ascent to the superintendency, and…

This study investigates the impact of gender bias on female superintendents' careers on Long Island. Despite comprising the majority of teachers, women hold a significantly lower proportion of leadership positions. The research employed a mixed-method approach with quantitative and qualitative phases to explore this disparity. The findings reveal…

This nationwide study of 532 female school district superintendents, the largest such sample to date, offers compelling evidence that unconscious gender bias exists on the job and further inhibits equitable female representation in the superintendency. A modified version of Tran et al.'s (2019) Perceived Subtle Gender Bias Index (PSGBI), was…

The significance of this study was to give an active voice to the experiences of women superintendents. By giving voice to the lived experiences of women superintendents, the study sought to further understand the phenomenon of women dominating the teaching profession and other entry-level positions in education yet having a noticeably limited…

Barriers surround top-tier leadership in K-12 education. The superintendent position continues to be occupied by male leaders despite the overwhelming number of female educators. This qualitative study explored the disparity between male and female leaders through the perspectives of female superintendents in a southern state. This study relied on…

The lack of female representation and gender imbalance in the superintendent position nationwide has been a focus of scholars for many years. Researchers have demonstrated that females have the experiences, preparations, and expertise necessary but are not securing the superintendent position at the same rate as their male counterparts, causing a…

This study explores the underrepresentation of women in the public school superintendency, a role historically dominated by men, and examines the barriers and opportunities that shape women's pathways to this senior leadership position in education, as well as strategies they credit with helping them in their role. Using a qualitative,…

Purpose: If PK12 administrators aspire to interrupt bias-based bullying, they need to understand their role in perpetuating structural and social inequality. The purpose of this study was to examine administrators': 1) awareness of gender-based bullying, 2) initial intentions to address bullying, and 3) actions that interrupted or perpetuated…

It is widely known that gender bias persists in male-dominated fields. Gender bias is often defined as acts that position one prototypical social group over another (Begeny et al., 2020; Gloor et al., 2020; Roberts & Brown, 2019; Scheifele et al., 2021). It is unknown how male superintendents mentor women while established in their…

African American women are underrepresented in the attainment of superintendent roles from a racial and gendered standpoint. African American females hold only 1% of superintendent positions in a field in which 27% of superintendents are women and 8.6% of superintendents are African American. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to…

This study sought to examine the underlying issues and perceptions of sitting male and female superintendents in order to add to the current literature on feminism in the K-12 school setting. Specifically, this study sought to examine the perceptions of currently employed superintendents about how they experienced the intersection of gender and…

This is a qualitative analysis of women working in district level administration in Northeast Kansas who hold their district level administration licenses. It seeks to understand and gain insight into women who reach the role of district level administration leadership and discover their career path, future aspirations, and any challenges or bias…

Black women comprised only 1.4% of superintendents leading school districts in the United States as of 2021 (Grogan & Nash, 2021). These professionals face challenges to their leadership driven by systemic inequities deeply embedded in traditional leadership perceptions regarding race and gender, and contend with being undervalued and…

Public schools are faced with a shortage of women superintendents in the United States. Although women dominate the teaching profession and outnumber men in educational leadership and doctoral programs in education, there is a disproportionate number of men compared to women leading the nation's public schools. Using feminist theory and social…

The purpose of this study was to explore the lived experiences of African American women serving as executive-level administrators (assistant, associate, deputy superintendents and/or superintendents) in Texas public school districts. Specifically, this study investigated how executive-level African American women in Texas public schools perceive…