Women Superintendents: Promotion of Other Women to Central Office Administration

More women are leading schools in the role of superintendent, but numbers are still low when compared to men. There is limited research connecting women superintendents and the promotion of other women to leadership positions. Archival data from Texas schools showed that there is no difference between districts led by women superintendents or males for percentages of women central office leaders

Integrin Signaling Switches the Cytoskeletal and Exocytic Machinery that Drives Neuritogenesis

Neurons establish their unique morphology by elaborating multiple neurites that subsequently form axons and dendrites. Neurite initiation entails significant surface area expansion, necessitating addition to the plasma membrane. We report that regulated membrane delivery coordinated with the actin cytoskeleton is crucial for neuritogenesis, and identify two independent pathways that use distinct exocytic and cytoskeletal machinery to drive neuritogenesis. One pathway employs Ena/VASP-regulated actin dynamics coordinated with VAMP2-mediated exocytosis, and involves a novel role for Ena/VASP in exocytosis. A second mechanism occurs in the presence of laminin through integrin-dependent activation of FAK and src, and utilizes coordinated activity of the Arp2/3 complex and VAMP7-mediated exocytosis. We conclude that neuritogenesis can be driven by two distinct pathways that differentially coordinate cytoskeletal dynamics and exocytosis. These regulated changes and coordination of cytoskeletal and exocytic machinery may be utilized in other physiological contexts involving cell motility and morphogenesis.Jane Coffin Childs Memorial Fund for Medical ResearchNational Institutes of Health (U.S.) (NIH grant GM68678)Stanley Medical Research Institut

Women Superintendents: Promotion of Other Women to Central Office Administration

More women are leading schools in the role of superintendent, but numbers are still low when compared to men. There is limited research connecting women superintendents and the promotion of other women to leadership positions. Archival data from Texas schools showed that there is no difference between districts led by women superintendents or males for percentages of women central office leaders