Barker Cherri

School Board Members and Women in the Superintendency: a Case Study Barker Cherri

Women continue to be underepresented in the superintendency across the United States and in rural West Texas. School board members are responsible for hiring the superintendent and they continue to hire more women than men even though women in Texas are gaining certification for the superintendency at record rates. Although the literature is abundant concerning women and the superintendency,there are few studies on the hiring agents themselves. More studies are needed on why school board members hire more men than women as superitendents. This study looks at former school board members and their e perceptions of leadership, the theories of social roles and patriarchy, and regional views. Interviews with 15 school board members, revealed that superintendents are hired based primarily upon gut feeling and personal chemistry. School board members believe that women have the skills, the abilities, and the qualities to serve as superintendents. With the increase of women with superintendent certifications, the increase of women in doctoral programs, and the increase of women as campus administrators, 21st century can be The Century of the Woman.