Why Are So Few Latinas Serving as Superintendents? A Call to Action Following a Decade of Minimal Progress

ABSTRACT

The superintendent is one of the most important positions within public school districts because they have the capacity to influence policies, practices, and perceptions among school staff while simultaneously holding sway over the public. Yet, few Latinx administrators are hired into the superintendency – even fewer are Latinas. Consequently, districts are never gaining access to talented leaders that can help foster improved educational experiences and outcomes for all students. In this essay, we briefly outline the important role of the superintendent. Then, we provide a set of unique insights on the racial and gender demographics of Texas superintendents as well as how Latinas move through the educator workforce from principal to superintendent. We conclude with implications to further diversify the superintendency and ensure Latinas are effectively mentored, supported, and hired into district leadership positions.

Keywords:

• Superintendent
• educational leadership
• diversity
• administration
• district leadership

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

The work was supported by the The Holdsworth Center.