Leading While Black and Female: Factors to a Successful Career Pathway into the Superintendency

• In Event: Pathways and Promise: The Struggles, Triumphs, and Everything In Between of Female Superintendents of Color

Abstract

This qualitative study explored the lived experiences of African American female superintendents to identify the key factors that contributed to their advancement into public school leadership. Despite decades of educational reform, African American women remain grossly underrepresented in superintendent roles—holding less than 1% of these positions nationally (Miles Nash & Grogan, 2022). The purpose of this research was to examine how race, gender, mentorship, and systemic barriers influenced their leadership trajectories and to offer insight into strategies that can strengthen leadership preparation and development for aspiring Black female leaders.

Guided by Black feminist epistemology (Collins, 2002; Hooks, 1992), this study centered the voices of African American women, arguing that knowledge must emerge from their lived experiences rather than be interpreted through dominant frameworks. This lens recognizes the intersectionality of race and gender as critical to understanding how Black women uniquely experience educational leadership (Howard-Hamilton, 2003).

Using a phenomenological design, in-depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted with six African American female superintendents. Each participant completed two interviews. The iterative coding process aligned with Black feminist theory and illuminated both common themes and nuanced differences in their leadership journeys. The analysis was supported by the Career Mobility Framework (Riehl & Byrd, 1997) and Gatekeeping Theory (Lewin, 1947), which helped frame how access to leadership is shaped by institutional power structures.

Six key themes emerged from the analysis. Participants emphasized the role of mentors, role models, and networks in fostering their confidence and persistence—especially critical in light of the historical erasure of Black educational leaders following desegregation (Alston, 2015; Peters, 2019). They described actively pursuing leadership opportunities from an early age and often having to create their own access points, reflecting a pattern of tempered radicalism, where they challenged dominant norms while remaining committed to institutional change. Participants noted that their success depended on navigating complex district politics and aligning with board dynamics, consistent with the broader sociocultural and political factors of the Career Mobility Framework (Riehl & Byrd, 1997).

Gatekeepers played a pivotal role in either enabling or obstructing access to the superintendency, and participants described uneven access to advancement compared to White and male peers. Participants also encountered racial and gender-based stereotypes that impacted their sense of identity and belonging—often occupying an “outsider within” status (Collins, 2002). Once in the role, they navigated the dual expectations of public visibility and community loyalty.

The findings indicate that Black women in education face challenges not due to lack of capability, but restricted access. This study contributes to a growing body of research and offers guidance for reimagining leadership pipelines that address the dual barriers of race and gender and provide equitable support for Black women leaders.

Author

• Katie Russell, Panama-Buena Vista Union School District