More Than Mentorship: Black Women Superintendents and the Bonds of Sisterhood

• In Event: Research on the Superintendency SIG 97 Paper Session

Abstract

Black women superintendents represent less than 1.5% of all superintendents in the United States, with many routinely serving in districts that are under-resourced and low performing (Miles Nash & Grogan, 2022). Black women superintendents have limited access to mentorship due to the small number of Black women in the role, despite its proven impact on superintendent retention (Alston, 2000; Angel et. al, 2013; Brown, 2014; Davis & Bowers; 2019; Tillman & Cochran, 2000). The purpose of this paper is to share the ways in which Black sisterhood networks have supported and sustained current and former Black women in the superintendency as they navigated the systemic and personal challenges associated with their intersecting identities.

Authors

• Anna Jackman, NYC Public Schools

• Sonya Douglass, Teachers College, Columbia University