US Women Top Executive Leaders in Education: Building a Community of Learners

American women have been known for their leadership throughout the history of the United States. Not always called leadership, their management activities have earned them the reputation of being strong, resilient women capable of great initiative. This translates into the current notion of a woman educational leader as evidenced in a recent study. Based on the AASA (2003) national survey of women superintendents and central office administrators, conducted by Margaret Grogan and Cryss Brunner, this paper focuses on what characterizes women educational leaders and how they are shaping the most powerful position in U.S. education

Guest Editor\u27s Introduction: Leadership for Social Justice

I wanted to edit a special issue of the Journal of School Leadership on social justice for two main reasons. First, I was curious to know what my colleagues had in mind when they thought of social justice. What concrete or abstract ideas might be collected under the heading of social justice? Would there be a variety of positions taken and ideologies represented? Would the manuscripts be theoretical or based on empirical research or both? Could social justice be presented in nontraditional forms of writing even in an academic journal? Questions of content and style piqued my interest

Echoing Their Ancestors, Women Lead School Districts in the United States

Women have been involved in leadership activities throughout the history of the United States. Not always called leadership, their capacities to deal with difficult situations, and to manage enterprises have been earned them the reputation of being strong and resilient, capable of great initiative. This article draws briefly on this history to situate a discussion of how women are shaping the most powerful position in U.S. education - the superintendency. Using published findings from the AASA (2003) national survey of women superintendents and central office administrators, conducted by Margaret Grogan and Cryss Brunner, the article argues that women are still seen as somewhat of an anomaly in the position, and that a collaborative effort must be made by all those involved to bring about real change

Disrupting the Status Quo: The Action Research Dissertation as a Transformative Strategy

Summary: As a contribution to the lively debate that has been recently spawned among scholars about leadership preparation embedded in doctoral studies, this chapter explores the relationship between the current conception of the quality practitioner of educational leadership and the usefulness of learning how to conduct action research. The first section describes the quality practitioner and shows how various theories lend themselves to this concept. Building on the theoretical underpinnings for the very practical work of educational leadership, the second section offers a brief discussion of the background and development of action research. In the third section, we consider the appropriateness and relevance of educational leaders undertaking action research projects as the capstone of their doctoral studies. We explore the arguments for the Ed.D. as a more appropriate doctoral degree for the quality practitioner insofar as the Ed.D. is a professional doctorate unlike its research counterpart. And finally, the last section explores a way to weave action research throughout an innovative Ed.D. program so that students of educational leadership experience the application of action research methods to change some aspect of their own organizations as they learn how theory inter-relates with practice. This model is most suitable for part-time doctoral students who have remained employed in some leadership capacity

Understanding the Chinese Superintendency in the Context of Quality-Oriented Education

The implementation of national educational reform in China calls for newer and stronger school administration. Recognizing the need to establish a knowledge base for leadership development, we employ a set of existing US professional standards for educational leaders as a frame of reference to unpack the complex role of Chinese superintendents. Using data collected from two surveys administered to more than 200 Chinese superintendents in 2007, we find that many indicators of leadership considered essential in the United States are also viewed as necessary for effective superintendency in China. Feedback from the superintendents also points out gaps between what is perceived as important and what is in practice. This article contributes to the efforts of building meaningful global dialogues among researchers and practitioners on developing a new generation of education administrators

The Reality and Myth of the Superintendent Shortage: Implications for Research and Educational Policy

An examination of research findings on the perception of a precipitous decline in the quantity and quality of superintendent applicants was undertaken by leading scholars in the field and is reported in two consecutive issues of the Journal of School Leadership. We trust that this authoritative body of work adds to the knowledge base, informs the national debate, and will guide policy deliberations in the coming years. The intent of the authors of this brief end piece is to reflect on empirical findings as well as to introduce a number of provocative scholarly observations that will hopefully elevate and focus future policy debates

Editorial: Education Leadership and the COVID-19 Crisis

This research topic presents important developments in the field of education as the COVID-19 crisis ripples across the world. Not only have educators everywhere had to take extraordinary measures to deal with the health and safety threats they have encountered on a daily basis since the onset of this pandemic, but they have also had to learn new technologies, and respond to multiple demands as the landscape of teaching and learning shifted under their feet. The 20 articles in this collection, which capture early responses to the pandemic, highlight the complex, disruptive nature of this ongoing global challenge. While many of the authors have found hopeful ways to understand what educators have been experiencing, they also chronicle the harsh realities of loss and interrupted learning that weigh heavily on teachers, administrators, parents and students

Necessary but not Sufficient: The Continuing Inequality between Men and Women in Educational Leadership, Findings from the AASA Mid-Decade Survey

The gender of school leaders makes a difference in career paths, personal life, and characteristics of workplace. There is additional evidence that men and women are appointed or elected to lead different kinds of educational jurisdictions. Even if those differences did not exist, equitable access to leadership positions for people of different backgrounds would make this an important issue. This article reports gender-related findings from the American Association of School Administrators 2015 Mid-Decade Survey. Findings confirm many of the trends in research on the superintendency over the past 15 years. The profiles of women superintendents are becoming more like their male counterparts. Both men and women appear to be less mobile than in the past. Men and women are spending about the same time as teachers before becoming superintendents, women and men appear to experience stress similarly, and women are receiving mentoring much more than in the past. There are few data to support the beliefs that women superintendents, more than men, are limited by family circumstance although this survey sheds no light on perspectives of women aspirants. This survey also confirms that there are a variety of paths to the position providing opportunities for women who have not necessarily had the typical teacher/principal/central office administrator trajectory. Nevertheless, significant differences still exist. Most important is that men are still four times more likely than women to serve in the most powerful position in education, and both women and men of color are still grossly underrepresented

Rethinking Educational Design in New\u27 School Construction

The primary impetus to new school construction, of course, typically involves relieving overcrowding or replacing outdated or dangerous facilities. Bradley (1996), however, in a study about the role of architecture in education, notes that the physical structure of a school has the potential to be a vehicle for change. In other words, the design. of school facilities can inspire alterations in the nature, quality, and future direction of what goes on inside. The present study sought to determine the extent to which five school systems in Virginia took advantage of building a new secondary school to address the need for fundamental educational change

Electronic Vapor Product Usage and its Relationship to Suicidality in Vermont Youth

Objective: To examine the association between the use of electronic vapor products (e-cigarettes) and suicidal ideation. Methods: This study explored the association between e-cigarettes usage and suicidal ideation among 16,733 Vermont high school respondents of the 2017 Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS). Bivariate logistic regression was used to predict the odds of suicidal ideation with current electronic vapor product (EVP) use as the main predictor while controlling for current cigarette, alcohol, and marijuana use, age, gender, sexual orientation, and a history of bullying or sexual violence. Results: The odds of suicidal ideation are 5.86% lower for students using EVPs than those who do not when controlling for gender, age, sexual orientation, past bullying or forced sexual experience, and current alcohol, marijuana, and cigarette use. Conclusion: EVP use and suicidal ideation were related in this study sample. Further research is needed to replicate and understand this relationship