Keepers of the Flame: Gender, Race, and the Myth of Meritocracy in K–12 Educational Leadership

• In Event: Supporting Diverse and Equity-Centered Leaders and Leadership Pipelines

Abstract

As part of a larger study of 18 aspiring school leaders to understand how gender identity and gender performance (Butler, 1990; Hill Collins, 1990; Enke, 2012; Lugg, 2003) impacted their experience in the K-12 independent school leadership pipeline, one of the key findings was that meritocracy (McNamee & Miller, 2009) played an important role in how individuals understood what the outcomes of their ascent to leadership should be. This paper focuses on that finding, through the voices of aspiring K-12 independent school leaders who have tried to enter the pipeline or have come through the pipeline.

Author

• Sarah Odell, The Hewitt School
  Presenting Author