The purpose of this research is to examine superintendent search and selection practices in terms of equity for females and people of color. Gatekeeping and career mobility theories are used to inform this case study of one of the largest and most diverse states in the nation, New York. Findings illustrate how particular elements of school board and head-hunters’ routine practices, the professional norms of school administration, and dominant ideological and sociocultural values combine to facilitate the access of nonminority males and limit the access of others to the superintendency.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Afton, D. (1985). The development of models of educational consultants’ perceptions of the executive search process. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY.
2.
Alston, J. (1999). Climbing hills and mountains: Black females making it to the superintendency. In C. C. Brunner (Ed.), Sacred dreams: Women and the superintendency (pp. 79-90). Albany: State University of New York Press.
3.
Barker, S. (1997, November). Is your successor in your schoolhouse?NASSP Bulletin, pp. 85-91.
4.
Bell, C. S. (1988). Organizational influences on women’s experience in the superintendency. Peabody Journal of Education, 65(4), 31-59.
5.
Berman, J. (1997). Competence-based employment interviewing. Westport, CT: Quorum.
6.
Brown, M. (1992). Only the best. American School Board Journal, 179(3), 35-36.
7.
Byrne, D. (1971). The attraction paradigm. New York: Academic Press.
8.
Carlson, R. O. (1961). Succession and performance among school superintendents. Administrative Science Quarterly, 6, 210-227.
9.
Carlson, R. O. (1972). School superintendents: Careers and performance. Columbus, OH: Merrill.
10.
Carter, G. , & Cunningham, W. (1997). The American school superintendency: Leading in an age of pressure. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
11.
Carter, D. , Glass, T., & Hord, S. (1993). Selecting, preparing, and developing the school district superintendent. Washington, DC: Falmer.
12.
Chase, S. , & Bell, C. (1990). Ideology, discourse, and gender: How gatekeepers talk about women school superintendents. Social Problems, 37(2), 163-177.
13.
Chase, S. , & Bell, C. (1994). How search consultants talk about female superintendents. School Administrator, 51(2), 36-42.
14.
Chion-Kenney, L. (1994). Search consultants: Boon or bane to non-traditional candidates for the superintendency?School Administrator, 51(2), 8-9, 12-15, 17-18.
15.
Dadey, W. , Brown, C., Fensom, H., Hansen, T., Kinsella, M., Quadrini, G., & Whitehill, W. (1998). The future of the school superintendency: White paper. Syracuse, NY: Syracuse University Superintendents Alumni Association.
16.
Dipboye, R. (1992). Selection interviews: Process perspectives. Cincinnati, OH: Southwestern.
17.
District Superintendents Committee on Promoting Women and Minorities. (1997). Preliminary report and recommendations. Unpublished report.
18.
Ehrlich, E. , Flexner, S. B., Carruth, G., & Hawkins, J. M. (1980). Oxford American dictionary. New York: Oxford University Press.
19.
Giles, S. , & Giles, D. (1990). Superintendent turnover: Crisis facing California school districts. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 325 981).
20.
Glaser, B. , & Strauss, A. (1967). The discovery of grounded theory. Chicago: Aldine.
21.
Glass, T. (1992). The 1992 study of the American school superintendency. Arlington, VA: American Association of School Administrators.
22.
Grogan, M. (1996). Voices of women aspiring to the superintendency. Albany: State University of New York Press.
23.
Grogan, M. , & Henry, M. (1995). Women candidates for the superintendency: Board perspectives. In B. Irby & G. Brown (Eds.), Women as school executives: Voices and visions (pp. 164-175). Austin: Texas Council for Women School Executives.
24.
Guba, E. , & Lincoln, Y. (1985). Naturalistic inquiry. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.
25.
Hodgkinson, H. , & Montenegro, X. (1999). The U.S. school superintendent: The invisible CEO. Washington, DC: Institute for Educational Leadership.
26.
Homans, G. (1950). The human group. New York: Harcourt, Brace & World.
27.
Hord, S. , & Estes, N. (1993). Superintendent selection and success. In D. Carter, T. Glass, & S. Hord (Eds.), Selecting, preparing, and developing the school district superintendent (pp. 71-84). Washington, DC: Falmer.
28.
Houston, P. (1998). The ABCs of administrative shortages. Education Week, 17(38), 44-44, 32-32.
29.
Hudson, M. (1991). How educators get top jobs: Understanding race and sex differences in the “old boy network.”Lanham, MD: University Press of America.
30.
Hudson, M. (1994). Women and minorities in school administration: Re-examining the role of informal job contact systems. Urban Education, 8(4), 386-397.
31.
Johnson, C. (1975). How to select a superintendent. American School Board Journal, 162(11), 28-28.
32.
Johnson, S. M. (1996). Leading to change: The challenge of the new superintendency. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
33.
Kamler, E. (1995). Gatekeeping: The relationship between the search consultant, women, and the superintendency. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Hofstra University, Hempstead, NY.
34.
Kamler, E. , & Shakeshaft, C. (1999). The role of search consultants in the career paths of women superintendents. In C. C. Brunner (Ed.), Sacred dreams: Women and the superintendency (pp. 51-62). Albany: State University of New York Press.
35.
Kanter, R. M. (1977). Men and women of the corporation. New York: Basic Books.
36.
Krinsky, I. (1992). Cream of the crop. American School Board Journal, 179(6), 34-37.
37.
Lewin, K. (1947). Frontiers in group dynamics: II. Channels of group life, social planning, and action research. Human Relations, 1, 143-153.
38.
Lewin, K. (1951). Field theory in social science: Selected theoretical papers. New York: Harper.
39.
Magowan, C. (1979). The contribution of nationally recognized consultants to the practice of selecting a superintendent. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of Connecticut.
40.
Magretta, J. (1997). Will she fit in?Harvard Business Review, 75(2), 18-22.
41.
Maienza, J. G. (1986). The superintendency: Characteristics of access for men and women. Educational Administration Quarterly, 22(4), 59-79.
42.
Marshall, C. (1997). Undomesticated gender policy. In B. Bank & P. Hall (Eds.), Gender, equity, and schooling: Policy and practice (pp. 63-91). New York: Garland.
43.
McAdams, R. (1998). Who’ll run the schools: The coming administrator shortage. American School Board Journal, 185(8), 37-39.
44.
Miklos, E. (1988). Administrator selection, career patterns, succession, and socialization. In N. Boyan (Ed.), Handbook of research on educational administration (pp. 53-76). New York: Longman.
45.
Montenegro, X. (1993). Women and minority representation in school administration. Arlington, VA: American Association of School Administrators.
46.
Moody, C. (1983). On becoming a superintendent: Contest or sponsored mobility?Journal of Negro Education, 52, 383-397.
47.
New York State School Boards Association . (1995). The school board member handbook. Albany: Author.
48.
O’Connell, R. (1995). A report of the status of the administrative candidate pool in New York State—1995. Albany: New York State Council of School Superintendents.
49.
Ortiz, F. I. (1982). Career patterns in education: Women, men, and minorities in public school administration. New York: Praeger.
50.
Ortiz, F. I. (1999). Seeking and selecting Hispanic female superintendents. In C. C. Brunner (Ed.), Sacred dreams: Women and the superintendency (pp. 91-101). Albany: State University of New York Press.
51.
Radich, P. (1992). Access and entry to the public school superintendency in the state of Washington: A comparison between men and women. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of Washington.
52.
Rickabaugh, J. (1986). The role and influence of consultants in the selection of school superintendents. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of Wisconsin.
53.
Riehl, C. , & Byrd, M. (1997). Gender differences among new recruits to school administration: Cautionary notes to an optimistic tale. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 19(1), 45-64.
54.
Roberts, M. (1996). The role of executive search consultants in the selection of school superintendents. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Virginia Polytech.
55.
Schmuck, P. , & Wyant, S. (1981). Clues to sex bias in the selection of school administrators: A report from the Oregon network. In P. Schmuck, W. Charters, & R. Carlson (Eds.), Educational policy and management: Sex differentials (pp. 73-97). New York: Academic Press.
56.
Shakeshaft, C. (1989). Women in educational administration. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
57.
Shoemaker, P. J. (1991). Gatekeeping. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
58.
State Education Department . (1992). Annual educational summary 1991-1992. Albany, NY: Author.
59.
State Education Department . (1997). New York, the state of learning: Statewide profile of the educational system. Albany, NY: Author.
60.
Swart, W. (1990). A comparison of three models used by local school boards in New York State to assist in the superintendent selection process 1975-1990. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, New York University.
61.
Tallerico, M. (1997). Gender and school administration. In B. Bank & P. Hall (Eds.), Gender, equity, and schooling: Policy and practice (pp. 187-210). New York: Garland.
62.
Tallerico, M. (2000). Accessing the superintendency: The unwritten rules. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
63.
Tieman, P. (1968). A survey of educational consultants and their role in the recruitment and selection of school superintendents. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University.
64.
Tyack, D. , & Hansot, E. (1982). Managers of virtue: Public school leadership in America: 1820-1980. New York: Basic Books.
65.
Volp, R. , Archambault, P., Barretta, A., Service, R., Terranova, M., & Whitehill, W. (1998). Snapshot of the superintendency III: A study of school superintendents in New York State. Albany: New York State Council of School Superintendents.
66.
Volp, F. , Whitehill, W., Davis, G., & Barretta, A. (1992). Snapshot of the superintendency I: A study of school superintendents in New York State 1991-1991. Albany: New York State Council of School Superintendents.
67.
Volp, F. , Whitehill, W., Davis, G., & Barretta, A. (1995). Snapshot of the superintendency II: A study of school superintendents in New York State 1994-1995. Albany: New York State Council of School Superintendents.
68.
Webb, L. D. , Montello, P., & Norton, M. S. (1994). Human resources administration: Personnel issues and needs in education (2nd ed.). New York: Merrill.
69.
Wrubel, S. (1990). Superintendent succession: Needs, selections, and changes in four New York public school districts. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Fordham University, New York.
70.
Young, M. (1999, April). The leadership crisis in Iowa. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Montreal.
