Intersectionality and the leadership of Black women superintendents

Mason, Barbara E. Suggs

Permalink

https://hdl.handle.net/2142/110552 Copy

Description

Title

Intersectionality and the leadership of Black women superintendents

Author(s)

Mason, Barbara E. Suggs

Issue Date

2021-04-23

Director of Research (if dissertation) or Advisor (if thesis)

Roegman, Rachel

Doctoral Committee Chair(s)

Roegman, Rachel

Committee Member(s)

• Welton, Anjale
• Herrmann, Mary
• Neville, Helen

Department of Study

Educ Policy, Orgzn & Leadrshp

Discipline

Educ Policy, Orgzn & Leadrshp

Degree Granting Institution

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Degree Name

Ed.D.

Degree Level

Dissertation

Keyword(s)

• intersectionality
• Black women
• superintendents
• Black Feminist Thought

Abstract

While there has been an increase in the research related to the history and evolution of Black women’s role as leaders in education in the United States since the late 1980s, there is a lack of studies that address the perceptions, and duality of the unique barriers and challenges that Black women superintendents are confronted with in their leadership careers. Through in-depth recorded interviews of selected Black women superintendents, this study, based on a phenomenological narrative design, examined the intersectionality of race and gender in participants’ leadership experiences, focusing on interactions with school boards, local communities, professional networks, and district personnel. Black Feminist Thought was utilized as a theoretical framework to support this research. This framework provided an opportunity for Black women to relate their own stories, helping to fill a void of knowledge of the lives and behaviors of these women, long cited by scholars of educational leadership. The research question was as follows: How has the intersectionality of race and gender impacted the leadership experiences of Black women superintendents?

Graduation Semester

2021-05

Type of Resource

Thesis

Permalink

http://hdl.handle.net/2142/110552

Copyright and License Information

Copyright 2021 Barbara Mason

Owning Collections