Black Female Superintendents: Intersectionality Inquiries and Gendered Mentorships

• In Event: Mentoring Amid Intersectional Identities, Racialized Allies, and Gendered Accomplices

Abstract

Objective: The superintendency, since its inception in the mid-1800s, has been dominated by White males. Even today, White males constitute 80% of the country’s 17,000 superintendent positions, compared to the 1% of Black women superintendents. Thus, the ascension of Black females to the superintendency remains a significant feat, with approximately 168 Black women serving in the role. Black women are disproportionately underrepresented in the superintendency, perpetuating the phenomena of Firsts and Few to define their ascension to and service in the position. Given the persistent underrepresentation of Black women superintendents; qualitative studies of their lived experiences preparing for, pursuing, ascending to, serving in and exiting the superintendency, comprise the greatest portion of the scholarship. Although qualitative research dominates the discourse with critical examinations, explorations, analyses and results documenting the experiences of Black women superintendents, only a few studies have been published in journals and books. This meta-synthesis reviews and integrates the findings from these published qualitative studies to respond to the research question: In what ways do the racial and gendered identities of Black women inform their experiences on the superintendency pathway?
Perspective: Gender and race have been cited as two factors that impact the opportunities of attaining the public school superintendency. Located at the intersection of race and gender, published research on Black women superintendents has explored these factors (i.e., racism and sexism) and the intersection of these social constructs, as contributing to their underrepresentation, as well as their leadership attributes, characteristics, practices and contributions. Intersectionality serves as the conceptual frame that undergirds this meta-synthesis to detail the various interactions of race and gender that influence and inform the multiple aspects of Black women’s experiences along the superintendency pathway.
Method and Data: In a systematic review of leadership literature, we critically reviewed published empirical studies, refereed and peer-reviewed journal articles, book chapters, and edited books on Black women school superintendents or aspirants. The literature selections focus on major works by scholars who have contributed to the understanding of Black women preparing for, pursuing and achieving the superintendency. We apply a data analysis to describe the methodological characteristics and identify methods that best align with the Black female critical feminist conceptual frameworks.
Results& Significance: Through a review of published literature and integration of the findings, the results of this meta-synthesis indicate that Black women superintendents and aspirants experience gendered racism (Blake, 1999), when they do or cannot recognize or articulate the intersectionality of race and gender. Additionally, Black female educational leaders are either motivated or hindered by their racial and gendered intersectional experiences. Finally, the findings provide insight regarding how the intersectional identities and the double bind phenomenon supports Black women superintendents in the development of a systemic leadership loop hat bridges the P-12 educational system to local, state, national, and international leadership frames and contexts. The significance of mentorship in these leadership roles for Black female superintendents cannot be emphasized enough in order to navigate the structural and institutional racialized barriers they face.

Authors

• Dessynie Edwards, Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi

• Deena Khalil, Howard University