The Recruitment and Retention of African American Women as Public School Superintendents

The quality of light by which we scrutinize our lives has direct bearing upon the product, which we live, and upon the changes, which we hope to bring about through those lives. It is within this light that we form those ideas by which we pursue our magic through those lives. It is within this light that we form those ideas by which we pursue our magic and make it realized.

Many African American women within our society seek to realize their dream of educational leadership through the role of the public superintendency. Using Lorde (2007), I have examined eight African American women as light with the ability to enlighten, illuminate, and elucidate. This metaphor of light shapes my consideration of the ways that African American women, as members of a historically oppressed group, reconfigure their standpoints such that they enter school leadership positions with connected purpose. They perceive leadership positions as intimately connected to social and political dynamics, as indicators of power in relationship, and as responsive to shifting cultural interpretations.

As an educator, I believe it is safe to say that my success and the successes of others like me have not been without some form of discrimination, silencing of voice, and predetermination of actions. I too have struggled to find my place in a society that has from the beginning of its inception expected women and particularly, women of color, to be silent participants. I have struggled with the meaning of democracy, power, and privilege while seeking to define myself as an intelligent woman who is capable of thriving in a society that supports power and privilege of a dominant culture. Without hesitation I can say that my standpoints have on many occasions been dismissed as inconsequential because, as Delpit (1995) asserts, in this society the worldviews of the privileged are typically viewed as the only reality.

The struggles that African American women have endured with regard to recruitment and retention in the public school superintendency appear related to democracy. The meaning and practice of democracy, however, is complex within our society. For many, it stands for freedom—freedom as it relates to being valued within the systems of White male power and structure.

For African American women, this freedom to be has been challenged and stifled, and it often requires conformity or even a masking of their true selves in order to be what White society would have them to be. This conformity and/or masking may also be defined as “shifting,” as described by Jones and Shorter-Gooden (2003). Such shifting further means, “Engaging in a grown-up game of pretend as they (African American women) change their voices, attitudes, and postures to meet the cultural codes of workaday America as well as the broader societal codes of gender, race, and class” (p. 150). According to Greene (1988), “To tell the truth is to tear aside the conventional masks, the masks adopted due to convention or compliance, the masks that hide women’s being in the world” (p. 57). Freire (1970) might interpret Greene’s mask to symbolize oppression and the struggle to break free from the cloak of convention and compliance. Often, when African American women enter into positions of leadership and authority, the masks that society places on them can be fractured. This fracturing might also be seen as an act of transformation. It is as if “racially under-represented women” administrators momentarily embody Melville’s Captain Ahab in Moby Dick and they say, “What I’ve dared, I’ve willed; and what I’ve willed, I’ll do” (Greene, 1988, p. 38). These fractures within the masks worn and the sheer will to dare and do, surface through the words of many African American women.

Although, the number of African American women in the superintendency continues to grow, their growth in no way compares to White women and men. As Alston (2005) explains, “In these United States, persons of color represent 10.9% of the nation’s teachers, 12.3% of the nation’s principals, but only 2.2% of the nation’s superintendents. Women and persons of color, nevertheless, go largely underrepresented as superintendents” (p. 675). Furthermore, as Tillman and Cochran (2000) noted, there has been little research since 1987 that speaks specifically to challenges of African American women superintendents.

The recruitment and retention of African American women in the role of public school superintendent in United States is uniquely challenging due to historical and sociopolitical factors within regions. These factors may be categorized into three distinct themes related to the historical influence of civil rights era, the role of the Black Feminist Movement, and the social politics within public school districts. Common challenges are grounded in biases such as race, gender, and culture. Tozer, Violas, and Senese (2002) noted,

The belief that national, ethnic, cultural, economic, racial, or gender groups possess some inherent social, emotional, moral, or intellectual characteristic(s) has been endemic in American history. It is based on unwarranted and malevolent assumptions. Almost universally this belief has been used to justify political, economic, or educational exclusion, which in turn fosters subordination and repression. Such assumptions continue to hamper women’s full development as equals rather than as subordinates to men. (p. 130)

Research indicates that right from the beginning African American women are faced with what is termed “double jeopardy,” meaning both race and gender discrimination (Shorter-Gooden, 2004, p. 410). And yet, African American women continue to resist these challenges by seeking a role that has been traditionally held by White males, and to lesser extents, Black males and White women. The question then becomes how and why do we as African American women seek recruitment and retention to the public school superintendency? In order to understand the challenges of recruitment and retention to the public school superintendency, I needed to go to the source.

The voices of many African American women superintendents have been assigned to the voices of White women and African American men. Rarely are the voices of African American women superintendents revealed to solely address the issues and challenges of recruitment and retention faced by African American women to the public school superintendency. Neither, has credence or validation been given to the impact of race, gender, and social politics on the recruitment and retention process of African American women in the public school superintendency.

Therefore, I decided to seek eight African American women currently serving as superintendents or recently have served in the position. Given the degree of confidentiality needed to protect my participants from being identified, I gave them each pseudonyms and purposely refrained from identifying any seemingly pertinent demographics. Of the eight participants who have agreed to serve as participants, five are current superintendents two are retired, and one is retired and a former associate state public school superintendent. All participants are the first African American women to hold the position of public school superintendents in their respective districts and states. All eight participants were from the southeastern region of the United States. All of the eight superintendents are originally from the southeast and received their undergraduate and doctoral degrees from universities within the southeast region. Many of the educational leadership experiences of the eight participants prior to assuming the role of superintendent were located within the southeast regions; however, at least two have had experiences that have taken them to other regions of the United States as school administrators, teachers, or superintendents. Most of the eight superintendents attended segregated schools until they reached high school. Five of them attended Historically Black Colleges and Universities for their undergraduate degrees and doctoral degrees. The eight participants in this study shared a truth—or standpoint—that related to the following research question.

As may have been concluded, all of the superintendents agreed that race, gender, and social politics has great bearing on whether African American women are recruited and retained in the superintendency. As Superintendent Cameron states,

It is not the actual process of recruitment and retention that are barriers to the superintendency because they are in and of themselves concrete processes (being certified in school administration, applying, interviewing, and etc.). The problem lies in the decisions made by those in power.

In essence, Superintendent Cameron is saying that the processes for recruitment and retention are standard procedures. School boards are required to follow state laws for recruitment and retention; and thus, they are legal courses of action. However, she also asserts that the problem arises when those with power make decisions that do not serve all justly or fairly. Thereby implying that even with the enacting of Brown v. Board of Education, the 1964 civil rights era, and affirmative action those with and in power continue to discriminate.

According to the participants, race was first and foremost paramount into whether African American women were recruited and retained as public school superintendents. As Superintendent Reed stated,

I think people have a mental mind-set about who Black women are. They expect Black women to look mammy maid if you understand what that might mean. Frumpy, you know. Um, overweight. They think of us as being pack mules and so they they’ll throw the work on us, and expect it to be done miraculously. When we come clean, sharp, and well dressed, um in good physical shape they get edgy about that. I don’t know what they think it means yet. I haven’t figured that out you know. However, in my first superintendency I remember thinking that they think I am a machine and I’m not human, cause you know we’re animals—we’re not human animals—we’re to be used and what not.

So much of what Superintendent Reed said reverberated Sojourner Truth’s question of “Ain’t I A Woman,” (Collins, 2000, p. 14). During the time in history when Sojourner Truth asked the question, we must remember that Black women were considered to beasts of burden. Although the fight to have the same rights afforded to them as White women was won through the works of Black feminists and the civil rights era; it is now 2014 and the same question and sentiment has been carried over generations of African American women who have come so far, and yet know that the journey is ongoing. Superintendent Gates says,

We as African American women should never forget where we came from and not to lose sight of who we are as African American women. Although it may sound harsh or biased, many of us think that when people (employees, board members, community members, and etc.) start liking us we really think they like us and what we have to understand it’s not about us. It is about what we can do for someone else whether it’s being that token, whether, it is being a nice Black woman that represents the culture well, it is achieving the goals that they the community wants to be achieved. It is performing the job well, but it’s not about you and we have to remember that no matter the success we have one day it’s going to fade away and the relationships that you have established within the superintendency will also fade because they are about the position and not you.

Therefore, Superintendent Gates suggests it is a mistake to believe that because people within the organization like you and you have the position of superintendent, “you have arrived.” As an African American woman in a leadership position such as the superintendent it is beneficial to keep in mind that the decision to hire may very well be based on the social politics driving the organization.

Even when it appears that the African American woman is respected and liked as the leader, it may really be more about what the position can afford others. Sadly, Superintendent Gates comments further suggest that for many, once the title and position are gone the African American woman superintendent who was once respected and liked becomes just another Black woman. For many African American women seeking recruitment and retention to the superintendency, the reality of race is best described and recalled by Superintendent Peters’s conversation with a board member:

He told me, he said you were the best candidate and I couldn’t in good conscious not vote for you, but others did not and they did not because of the color of your skin.

Superintendent Peters’s data indicate that even after meeting the job requirements by the state and or local school boards many Black women are passed over or denied further access into the role of leadership because of their race; once again, supporting the research that speaks to Black women who are often highly qualified needing a powerful mentor/advocate in order to be recruited and retained in the position of school superintendent (Tillman & Cochran, 2000). The example by Superintendent Peters reinforces the notion that African American women still struggle with the racial and social preferences for superintendents.

Sometimes, silencing for African American women will result in trying to be politically correct but as Superintendent Cameron states,

Sometimes you can’t be politically correct you gotta just tell the truth. Many years ago and prior to the whole OJ Simpson mess, OJ and Diana Ross were interviewed by Larry King. Larry King asked them to discuss how the struggle in Black America impacted them. And OJ and Diana Ross sat on national television and said that they couldn’t speak to the Black experience and struggle. Really? How can you tell me OJ Simpson and Diana Ross as old as they both are―and they are both older than me; and if I know about the Black struggle and have experienced the Black struggle, how in the world can they tell me they don’t understand anything about the Black struggle in America, ok. So know that was bologna. It’s prevalent and it’s real.

The data suggest that often, many African American women shy away from making their race an issue for fear of sounding paranoid, playing the “race card,” or being in a state of denial. It is as if the following dialogue is playing in their heads, “How can African American women still be fighting this fight? Surely, there is another reason for why Black women are struggling.” And yet as Superintendent Cameron implies, every African American woman knows and understands the struggle. Those women who seek recruitment and retention in the public school superintendency must acknowledge the struggle as still real. The soul of “Sisterella” as defined by Jones and Shorter-Gooden (2003) is an African American woman who has worked to be everything to everyone and has lost herself, in the process. She may often forget her own strengths, talents, and self-worth while trying to comply with the demands of the dominant culture. Therefore, “Sisterella,” has to be set free and the mask of compliance and/or convention as discussed earlier by (Greene, 1988) must be fractured.

Gender was another given within the themes represented by the superintendents. Superintendent Cameron says, “The major barrier for the first position I held was that there were White males on the board who could not get beyond a Black and then secondly a female.” Similarly, Superintendent Markworth linked the gender issue with stereotypical beliefs:

Black women are seen as very dominant and we’re supposed to be mothers, cooks, cleaners, Ms. Fixer Uppers, but we’re not leaders, so everyone takes advantage of us. We’re the mothers of the land for all races.

Superintendent Reed shared the issue of gender and stereotypical beliefs by saying,

Not only are we expected to be mammy maids but we are also seen as sapphires (women who holler and scream) thus making us women who will jump all over you. I haven’t come across the whys for that kind of thinking but from my own personal experiences some of us (Black women) must play into this kind of thinking. Maybe, it’s because there’s not enough of us at any one time that look like the rest of them. White women have always been revered, protected, they keep their hair blonde or whatever color it is, they wear red nail polish and you know they got the suit on all the time and they know their place. Nobody’s ever protected an African American woman throughout history and then all of a sudden we’re telling White people what to do.

Superintendent Reed also echoed the issues of gender and stereotypical biases by saying,

I still have the issues of White men who want to challenge me and they never do it overtly but the challenge is always there. They would rather see a White man in front of them talking than a Black woman and I understand that and I’m not going to make it my problem.

Lastly, Superintendent Gates reflected on the issue of gender and stereotypical bias this way:

There’s something about the characteristic that you see in a person. Our ethnicity as Black women is something that is apparent the moment we walk in the door. We don’t have to open our mouths. We don’t have to say anything about who we are but the minute we walk in the door there are those tapes that start to go off in people’s minds about who we are and that makes it difficult. It happens to Caucasian women also, but it’s a different tape that goes off. It’s a tape of acceptance, it’s a tape of somehow you have an inherent ability. Too often the tape that goes off when I walk in the door or an African American female walks in the door is that you have an inherent inability to succeed and your sons and your husband and the males in your family are attached to that same tape, and it becomes a hurdle that you have to overcome before you’ve said a word and it doesn’t matter the audience.

Once again, many African American women are viewed as everything but intelligent women who are highly capable of leading and serving as public school superintendents. The tape that Dr. Gates refers to is in fact the same sentiment believed to be true during the Feminist Movement of the 19th and 20th centuries (see Collins, 2000; Guy-Sheftall, 2000). In essence, responses from the superintendents suggest that the belief of White female privilege is still synonymous with superior character and intellect in today’s society. To state Superintendent Gates’s example of the tape in the reverse means that when most White women walk through a door they are automatically seen as having an inherent ability to succeed. With regard to the husbands and the families of White women, there is no hurdle because most organizations and communities will help with their success in relocating jobs, finding schools, and generally welcoming them as members of the community. Superintendent Stokely echoes the research and sentiments of Superintendent Gates by referring to the tape as a “catch 22.” She says,

I think being a woman certainly has it’s disadvantages but being an African American woman has more disadvantage in terms of our ability to be retained for a couple of things in terms of we tend not to have the opportunity to build the networks like the “good old boy relationships” because we don’t golf or hunt. Maybe we fish, but they build different kinds of relationships than we as females. Accessibility is a huge issue because business of connections, social connections, country club memberships and etc. As African American women, we must try to insert ourselves into the connections which they (White males) have privileged access.

Thus, it appears from the perspectives of the superintendents that gender is not the sole determinant of recruitment and retention but rather it is the Black female gender that affects recruitment and retention. For African American women, it is the phenomenon of double jeopardy (race and gender) that affects recruitment and retention, primarily.

Another common factor that African American women superintendents agreed with was about the social politics of the role. As expressed earlier, the position is very political and it becomes social when groups with agendas work to push the actions of the school boards for or against the superintendent. As Superintendent Douglas states,

The difficulty is the politics cause as I have said, it turned me off that superintendents can be turned out of their jobs not they didn’t do their jobs but because somebody gets a grudge against them or somebody in the community decides they don’t like the superintendent and they get to a board member and then the next thing you know the superintendent’s contract is not being renewed and they are being bought out. That’s the thing that we can’t control and it is the thing that keeps Black females from seeking the position.

Superintendent Reed gives another example of the power social politics has on determining the recruitment or retention of African American women superintendents. She says,

During one school board meeting I mentioned the fact that people are running around here saying I’m gay and they all start laughing and they said you heard that? I said, yeah I heard it, I mean you know stuff gets back to you; you know. I said so whoever said it really doesn’t know me or who I am but she had told it to some influential White people back then. She didn’t know me; I had never met this woman in my life. It was this woman’s intention to get rid of me. Therefore, I say this because you must pay attention to culture and climate. I study it well because if you don’t understand where you’re going and who you are dealing with and then you misstep and you’ll get swallowed up by some people who just don’t want you (an African American female) there.

Superintendent Agee sums up the importance of knowing the sociopolitical culture and climate in this way:

Getting past that first interview is what I believe trips us (African American women) up. I think if you looked back and if there was some way for you to research how many African American females have applied for superintendents positions and looked at how many got to the second interview it would be interesting. Now, sure people are going to bring prejudices to the table and there are going to be some people who I don’t care how long you live they are never going to want anything to do with you. That’s an issue depending on what the community looks like and what their values are. You know there are just some places that we (African American women) just can’t go. So, if you have already read this in a situation you just probably don’t need to go there, because, then you get hell once you get there.

The expressed thoughts of the superintendents confirm the strong determinants of race and gender on recruitment and retention despite many African American women having the necessary qualifications.

Most of the superintendents felt that mentors and establishing networks were crucial to being recruited and retained in the public school superintendency. If it had not been for their mentors providing opportunities for growth and learning through leadership experiences and giving encouragement for each of these women to seek degrees that would open doors to the superintendency, their chosen paths may have been truly different. Superintendent Reed says this about mentors:

You have to realize who is important to spend your time with. You must be purposeful about that. Be intentional about who you’re spending your time with and know what you hope to gain from spending that time.

Many of the women superintendents would agree that the leadership programs they attended gave them educational knowledge about the role of the superintendent, but the true learning according to Superintendent Stokely happened because “We learned through our experiences, our professional associations and mentors.” While Superintendent Markworth says “Mentors should not be afraid to share what the reality of the superintendency really is,” Superintendent Peters captured the meaning of mentoring and networking with these thoughts:

Once I became a superintendent the first African American superintendent in the state mentored me. With the few Black women we had in the position of superintendents we formed a group to mentor each other and to advocate for those who wanted their names in the basket for the superintendency. Although the group was very small and what we did was on a very small scale, I think those are things that we need to do in order to encourage or to get more African American females into the superintendency. It is up to us to encourage others African American women and men to explore the superintendency.

Superintendent Cameron also shared what she believes is essential to mentoring and networking:

We need a support base amongst ourselves. We need to support each other and help each other. That’s all there is to it. I don’t care how many programs you go through or whatever you still got to have that network and support base and there again that’s why I made a point to block out this time this morning because I feel like I have got to support you.

Lastly, here is a prime example of networking and advocating from a retired superintendent within the Southeast region of the United States encouraging her fellow peers to give back and to help “uplift as we climb”:

Hello Everyone, (September 3, 2010) The purpose of this e-mail is to ask your assistance on behalf of a student, Anita Brown, who is completing her doctoral studies at UNC-Greensboro. Her dissertation is entitled, The Freedom to Be: African American Women as Public School Superintendents. She is in need of active or retired AA Women Superintendents to interview for dissertation research. With the limited number of AA women superintendents, she is having a major problem with her sample size. Since you understand the challenges of completing a dissertation, I hope you will be willing to assist Anita.

As a result of this retired superintendent taking the time to advocate on my behalf to the network of superintendents within her circle, I was able to obtain my eight participants for my research study.

Self-recruitment and self-retention in the superintendency is about African American women making a way for themselves in a male-dominated position. Superintendent Reed says she purposely made it her business to read and study the resume of a Chicago superintendent by the name of Ruth B. Love while she was in graduate school. She said she looked at where you have to go in order to get where you want to go. Superintendent Reed also advises getting to know superintendents and getting at least one of them to serve as a mentor. African American women should seek out those whom they admire and respect, and have had experiences that will provide rich information and serve as a guide to the superintendency, according to Superintendent Reed.

Most of the superintendents would agree that you must take risks in order to be a superintendent. As repeated any number of times and further elaborated by Superintendent Markworth, “You just have to put yourself out there.” She says,

You have to put yourself in the position to be recruited. You have to search websites, talk to folks, and don’t be afraid to make those connections. If you are afraid to reach out to folks or if you are afraid to take no for an answer, if you are afraid to be denied, and if you are afraid of being declined then this job is not for you. You have to put yourself out there and make the decision as to where you will go.

With regard to self-recruitment and retention, African American women seeking the role of superintendent should always consider and be ready for the possibility of having to relocate. The thought of relocating to another state and community can often be daunting for many African American women because in relocating comes the loss of being near family and friends, a loss of community and networks that have been the safe harbor for care and concern, which oftentimes does not readily occur when relocating. However, as Superintendent Gates states,

I have friends who will clearly say I’m not moving. I’m trying to find something right around geographically that will allow me to stay where I am and not move too far away. In order to become a superintendent many times you will have to relocate and so that’s something you have to discuss in your family. You have to build support that’s necessary in your family in order to be able to do that.

She also states that because statistically the tenure of an African American woman superintendent is often shorter than that of White male superintendents; the decision to move or relocate often becomes even harder for Black women. As an assistant superintendent, Dr. Gates commuted an hour and 10 minutes to and from the county in which she worked for 2 years. As a superintendent, you do not have the option of commuting because most states require you to live in the districts for which you serve. Superintendent Gates also stated the following:

I think for African American women superintendents the work is so difficult and can be so trying, that when you factor in the lack of longevity, the stress of the work, and the amount of the work for many Black women, when it is all totaled the realities of the position often preclude self-recruitment.

Once the decision to accept a superintendency is made, the African American woman must deliberately and strategically begin making connections with individuals and groups that will be able to offer support, care, concern, friendship, and laughter.

Although there are many factors as to why African American women may choose not to seek the position of school superintendent, these same factors can also be contributed to the retention within the superintendency. However, most of the superintendents have said that it is the relationship with the school board that will ultimately determine retention.

The board of education serves as the superintendent’s immediate supervisor, boss, and evaluator. According to Superintendent Gates,

You have to respect them as your supervisor regardless of the level of education they have in comparison to yours. You have to treat them with respect and understand that there’s value in almost everything that they have to say even if its foolishness and its way off topic more than likely they are representing their constituency and you’d better pay attention to it.

Superintendent Agee states with regard to working with school boards:

You have to understand the political climate within which you work and if you don’t read well, I mean read people and situations well, like your board, um the dynamics of the job, the people that are involved in the job at that level, the fact that you have to interact with board members who are not professionals who think they know what happens in a school district because they went to school there or who want or think their job is your job; I think causes many to shy away because they simply are not ready for the job and the kinds of political experiences that comes with it.

Although working with school boards is paramount to the job, Superintendent Markworth shares the importance of serving on different community boards. According to Superintendent Markworth, community boards serve as a training ground and a vehicle for prospective and current superintendents to interact with communities. She also says that serving on community and professional boards will allow one to test the limits with diverse groups of people who may have different views and opinions from your own. The benefit to serving on various boards according to Superintendent Markworth is as follows:

You start to build the “thick skin” needed for the role of superintendent. You begin to learn how to graciously handle when the public disagrees with you, criticizes, critiques, and downright insults you, without becoming overly sensitive.

Another piece of the politics is building a relationship with the media. As Superintendent Agee states,

We either need to be able to forge a positive relationship with the media or we need someone on our staff who does it for us. They must be someone you can trust to be your mouthpiece and serve as your right hand man or woman. You must forge a relationship of trust with the media because nothing is worse than the media being upset with you the superintendent.

Superintendent Agee also says that the media is a huge piece of the relationship puzzle but you must also have good connections with the county commissioners, county finance officer, and any other key individuals within the community.

Even though the processes for each are concrete in the way they are conducted, the superintendents clearly express that there are interpersonal skills required in order to be successful as a superintendent. Their emphasis on the interpersonal skills relates to the informal education that one cannot learn reading and researching, but must be in fact practiced in authentic situations.

The requirements for formal education are guided by individual state and federal guidelines; and, African American women superintendents are often highly qualified (Tillman & Cochran, 2000). Superintendent Douglas sums up the process of formal education as follows:

African American women stack up just like everybody else when it comes to preparation, competency, capability, being able to communicate, being able to guide a system, and I think they bring the extra sensitivity to work with kids who are disadvantaged and not just African Americans.

It can be said that the words expressed by Superintendent Douglas mirrors many of the same sentiments of the other participants. It is not that African American women are not prepared formally, but the lack of informal preparation such as developing interpersonal skills to read situations, networking, and mentors presents themselves as larger problems related to recruitment and retention.

Each of the superintendents displayed and expressed strong personal and moral codes throughout their discussions. Superintendent Reed recalls being given a second contract to a superintendent’s position she held but the board that gave her the contract was voted out and then the new board came in with a different agenda. She says,

They got ignorant and nasty publicly all the time and I found myself thinking I’m not from this. I don’t know this. It was street fighting. I’m not from the streets. I don’t know how to gutter fight. And then I have a great reputation out there in the United States it’s just not this state and I can see past this state. It got to the point as I talked to my mother and my sister I said you know all I have is my reputation. I said my reputation will get me another job. I said I’m not going to stay here and let some ignorant people sully my reputation.

Superintendent Agee stated that even though people do not want to acknowledge race as an issue in recruitment and retention to the superintendency and other leadership positions the fact remains that it is still an issue. However, she also shares the following with regard to how she deals with the issue:

You don’t whine about it, you just deal with it you know. Whining about it not’s going to make it any better. Making every issue about race or gender makes you look like the weak and whiny. You just deal with it. If, I’m qualified I don’t care what you think that’s your problem not mine and that was really the way I approached it. If you can resolve your issues that’s fine, if you can’t I don’t have to go home with you, so the fact that you don’t like me cause I’m a woman and cause I’m Black I could care less.

These two responses exemplify the strong personal and moral codes that are indicative of each of the superintendents. Their responses also speak to how these African American women superintendents know themselves as individuals and leaders.

Many have heard the expression of being at the top is a lonely place, but few get to truly experience it. However, for the superintendents in this study, their expressions of isolation speak to the need for having mentors, networks, and family members to serve as sounding boards and caregivers to women leaders who serve as chief executive officers. Superintendent Gates states,

It’s not that you need someone to hear you talk about the job but you need someone to care about you in the evenings when you go home and knowing that you have someone to go home to because if you don’t have your family in a community that’s not your own or you didn’t grow up in the community who do you turn to? And you have to ask yourself “where will my support system be?” in the community.

Similarly, Superintendent Agee says that the superintendency is not a position where you can have a lot of friends. She stated,

You have to realize that you are going to be challenged all the time and that you’re going to have to constantly be about critiquing yourself all the time. That it’s lonely and it has to be because you can’t have a whole heck of a lot of friends that you want to share stuff with because you just can’t do that. That’s just not going to work if you think that’s going to work you are sadly mistaken.

White males often have social organizations, wives, and other community leaders to share their leadership experience with; however, for many African American women in leadership similar support sources are hard to come by. Terhune (2007) states, “social support systems help in alleviating feelings of isolation and tokenism, which can be experienced by Blacks situated in White environments” (p. 550).

Although none of the superintendents addressed affirmative action as a factor to their recruitment and retention, when asked directly about the role of affirmative action in recruitment and retention they all expressed similar thoughts. They all agreed that affirmative action is still needed; however, none of them wanted it to directly apply to them being recruited and retained in their respected positions. They instead explained they wanted to be hired, respected, and retained based on their skills and talents, thus mirroring the analogy of the double-edged sword. On one hand affirmative action has the potential to open doors to the superintendency for many African American women, but because it has been misperceived as Marshall (1994) writes as a token gesture, many African American women would rather not be considered for hire under an act that as she further states, “lacks moral legitimacy” (p. 173).

The lessons learned by these African American women superintendents are many as they are reflective of their standpoints. Below are consistent and compiled lessons expressed throughout the conversations shared during the gathering of the data. These lessons may also relate to recommendations for the recruitment and retention of African American women in the public school superintendency.

Lessons learned about race and recruitment and retention:

The issues of race and recruitment and retention to the public school superintendency for many African American women has often been marginalized within our society. According to Sanchez-Hucles and Davis (2010),

To ignore aspects of identity as unimportant is to tacitly privilege the leadership behavior of the dominant group in the organization under study most commonly White men from North American and Western Europe. Moreover, because organizations are by nature hierarchical and leadership by definition is the accumulation and exercise of power and authority, to ignore aspects of identity is to ignore the unequal manner in which hierarchies and systems of power provide opportunities for leadership. Status and power influence leader emergence and definitions of leader effectiveness. (p. 178)

Moreover, if the standpoints of African American women are never heard or validated and an appreciation for their diverse identities is never developed, then, how can it be assumed that we are meeting the needs of our ever more diverse school districts? I have learned from the eight superintendents in the study that our presence as African American women in educational leadership positions (educationally, socially, politically, and culturally) are critical to transforming the male dominance found within the superintendency.

Lessons learned about Black female gender and recruitment and retention:

One might argue that lessons presented around gender and recruitment and retention are the same for all women. I, on the other hand, believe that this is only true to a certain point. Yes, diverse barriers and challenges that may impede the recruitment process for many women are the location of the job, the lack of mobility, interviewing and selection, and gender-structured systems (Dana & Bourisaw, 2006). However, for a great number of African American women and women of color the disadvantages range from leadership styles that appear to be masculine and assertive, to the “multiple aspects of identity that elicit stereotypes—for example, gender, race, sexual orientation, and ethnicity” (Sanchez-Hucles & Davis, 2010, p. 177). These points link back to the relevance of Black women’s positionality and the intersection of their identities as described in Black Feminist Theory. Black Feminist Theory according to Guy-Sheftall (2000) “recognizes this dual identity presents challenges, needs, and concerns unlike those faced by African American men and White women” (p. 347); therefore, more research in this area is needed.

Lessons learned about social politics and recruitment and retention:

Socialization into the formal and informal world of organizations, networking, job insight, and opportunities is necessary and best served and learned through a trusted mentor. Just as many White males are routinely groomed and sought to fill superintendent vacancies, African American women seeking to be recruited and retained within the position of public school superintendent deserve no less.

African American women in the role of public superintendent may not be consciously aware of their activism—or maybe they just do not speak of their leadership and persistence in such a way—but they in fact are the movers and shakers within a society built on oppression. Freire (1970) states, “It is only the oppressed who, by freeing themselves, can free their oppressors” and “Through the praxis (they) commit themselves to its transformation” (p. 56). By African American women serving as public school superintendents, the negative myths and misperceptions regarding African American women may be replaced with “the ability of the leader to reach the souls of others in a fashion which raises human consciousness, builds meanings and inspires human intent that is the source of [transformative] power” (Bennis, 1986, p. 70). Therefore, the presence of African American women in the public school superintendency is not just to better the school systems with diversity but also to give credence to the power of the African American woman to transform existing social relations (Quantz, Rogers, & Dantley, 1991). Superintendents Peters, Cameron, Agee, Stokely, Reed, Markworth, Gates, and Douglas have given credence to their power and ability to transform their school districts, simply by their presence and commitments to equity and by maintaining their positions and identities as African American women public school superintendents.

Transformative leadership is defined as a process that elicits change in the assumptions and attitudes held within an organization or community. Transformative leaders thus work to be the change agents who facilitate meaningful discourse that is meant to give voice to the arguments of social justice and to cause one to question assumptions of race, gender, and politics (Quantz et al., 1991). When African American women are hired for and able to maintain the public school superintendency, they in fact are learning, teaching, and modeling how to overcome racism, sexism, and oppressive sociopolitics. This is not to say that every African American woman hired as a public school superintendent has the capacity to become a transformative leader within a school district, but rather their mere presence in the position demonstrates their individual ability to transcend the challenges presented throughout this study. For instance, the women in this study overcame many barriers, obstacles, and challenges in order to achieve their respected positions as public school superintendents. It is because of their fight to persevere in an oppressive society and the fight of others before them that they may be seen as change agents. They each in fact through their unspoken feminism teach other African American women the lesson of fighting and persevering in order to achieve equity and equality. Freire (1970/2007) states,

This lesson and this apprenticeship must come, however, from the oppressed themselves and from those who are truly solidary with them. As individuals or as peoples, by fighting for the restoration of their humanity they will be attempting the restoration of true generosity. Who better prepared than the oppressed to understand the terrible significance of an oppressive society? Who suffer the effects of oppression more than the oppressed? Who can better understand the necessity of liberation? They will not gain this liberation by chance but through the praxis of their quest for it, through their recognition of the necessity to fight for it. And this fight, because of the purpose given it by the oppressed, will actually constitute an act of love opposing the lovelessness which lies at the heart of the oppressors’ violence, lovelessness even with clothed in false generosity. (p. 45)

Freire (1970/2007) can be linked to many of the superintendents’ responses to “Why do this job?” and they simply stated, “We as African American women must be at the table.” In essence they were speaking to the fact that there are decisions that have and are being made that affect our Black children as well as all children in their efforts to be viable and successful contributors within society. All of the superintendents who participated in the study are in fact attempting to restore what appears to be the continued loss of humanity that breeches the equity and equality of living and learning within our society through their daily work and presence as superintendents/transformative leaders.

The growth and success of African American women as public school superintendents is once again dependent on whether they are truly freed from the masks that often prevent the intersection and acceptance of race, gender, and social politics in all of its complexities within their daily lives. If recruitment and retention of African American women to the public school superintendency is to be increased, then the challenges and barriers presented through race, gender, and social politics must continue to be explored.

From the African American women superintendents in this study, we can learn the power of reaching and achieving our highest potential as human beings through positive thinking; being visionary and strategic in our thinking, planning, and acting; inspiring trust; and gaining commitment from others we lead and serve; all the while, maintaining strong and supportive networks that care for us when we are not able to care for ourselves (emotionally, mentally, spiritually, and physically). Although the superintendents all shared the challenges of race, gender, and social politics within their individual recruitment and retention, those challenges did not deter or sway them from becoming “forces of power.” Most importantly, they never allowed someone else’s problems of race, gender, and the playing of negative social politics to determine their self-worth as African American women. Their perspectives are a testimony to the many victories and successes they have each experienced personally and as public school superintendents.