Ceilings Made of Glass and Leaving En Masse? Examining Superintendent Gender Gaps and Turnover Over Time Across the United States

Abstract

Given that a national superintendent dataset has never existed, claims about superintendent turnover and gender gaps have traditionally been based on conjecture or data from a single year and small sample of superintendents. Utilizing a new dataset of all K–12 public school district superintendents in the United States across four school years, this study explores how the superintendent gender gap and turnover have changed over time and across states and district types. Analyses reveal that superintendent turnover has increased, particularly among men, and the superintendent gender gap has marginally narrowed. Although men are increasingly turning over, women are seldom filling those positions—a necessity if the superintendent gender gap is to narrow. State and district analyses are presented, as well as discussion of the implications of the findings and the power of a longitudinal superintendent dataset.