Latina Superintendents Occupy Their Liminal Space to Empower and Transform Rural and Mid-size School Districts

• In Event: Superintendent Leadership and Retention

Abstract

At the forefront of our history in the making are women educational leaders who have forged a pathway, establishing innovative K-12 policy and organizational structures that are transforming rural and midsize school districts. Latina superintendents account for a small percentage of superintendents in Texas, but their results-driven leadership approach is deserving of greater attention. The leadership approaches observed among the three Latina superintendents included the untaming of the tongue, the ethic of care, and building a sense of comunalidad when leading and empowering individuals in their school districts. This study explored their leadership styles and why they should serve as a vanguard of educational leadership reform in K-12 school districts.

Authors

• Zoraya Davidson, Texas Tech Alumni

• Jeong-Hee Kim, Texas Tech University

• David Johnston, Texas Tech University

• Randi Wold-Brennon, Texas Tech University

• Aileen Narido Hermes, Texas Tech University