Georgia State University ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University Educational Policy Studies Dissertations Department of Educational Policy Studies 10-21-2009 Overcoming Barriers: Women in the Superintendency Claire Michael Miller Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.gsu.edu/eps_diss Part of the Education Commons, and the Education Policy Commons Recommended Citation Miller, Claire Michael, "Overcoming Barriers: Women in the Superintendency." Dissertation, Georgia State University, 2009. https://scholarworks.gsu.edu/eps_diss/49 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Department of Educational Policy Studies at ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University. It has been accepted for inclusion in Educational Policy Studies Dissertations by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University. For more information, please contact [email protected]. ACCEPTANCE This dissertation, OVERCOMING BARRIERS: WOMEN IN THE SUPERINTENDENCY, by CLAIRE MICHAEL MILLER, was prepared under the direction of the candidate’s Dissertation Advisory Committee. It is accepted by the committee members in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy, in the College of Education, Georgia State University. The Dissertation Advisory Committee and the student’s Department Chair, as representatives of the faculty, certify that this dissertation has met all standards of excellence and scholarship as determined by the faculty. The Dean of the College of Education concurs. _____________________ _____________________ Donna Breault, Ph.D. Philo Hutcheson, Ph.D. Committee Chair Committee Member _____________________ _____________________ Jennifer Esposito, Ph.D. Debra Harden, Ed.D. Committee Member Committee Member _____________________ Date _____________________ Sheryl A. Gowen, Ph.D. Chair, Department of Educational Policy Studies _____________________ R.W. Kamphaus, Ph.D. Dean and Distinguished Research Professor College of Education AUTHOR’S STATEMENT By presenting this dissertation as a partial fulfillment of the requirements for the advanced degree from Georgia State University, I agree that the library of Georgia State University shall make it available for inspection and circulation in accordance with its regulations governing materials of this type. I agree that permission to quote, to copy from, or to publish this dissertation may be granted by the professor under whose direction it was written, by the College of Education’s director of graduate studies and research, or by me. Such quoting, copying, or publishing must be solely for scholarly purposes and will not involve potential financial gain. It is understood that any copying from or publication of this dissertation which involves potential financial gain will not be allowed without my written permission. _________________________________________ Claire Michael Miller NOTICE TO BORROWERS All dissertations deposited in the Georgia State library must be used in accordance with the stipulations prescribed by the author in the preceding statement. The author of this dissertation is: Claire Michael Miller 345 Norwood Lane Winder, GA 30680 The director of this dissertation is: Dr. Donna Breault Department of Educational Policy Studies College of Education Georgia State University Atlanta, GA 30303 - 3083 VITA Claire Michael Miller ADDRESS: 345 Norwood Lane Winder, GA 30680 EDUCATION: Ph.D. 2009 Georgia State University Educational Policy Studies M.Ed. 2001 The University of Georgia Educational Leadership BS.Ed. 1994 The University of Georgia Foreign Language Education PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE: 2007-Present Assistant Superintendent, Curriculum and Instruction Barrow County Schools 2005-2007 Executive Curriculum Director Barrow County Schools 2001-2005 Secondary Curriculum Coordinator Barrow County Schools 2000-2001 Assistant Principal Apalachee High School 1994-2001 Spanish Teacher Apalachee and Winder-Barrow High Schools PROFESSIONAL SOCIETIES AND ORGANIZATIONS: 2005-Present Georgia School Superintendents Association 2005-Present American Educational Research Association 2005-Present American Association of School Administrators 2000-Present Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development 2000-Present Georgia Association for Curriculum & Instructional Supervisors 2000-Present Georgia Association for Educational Leaders PRESENTATIONS AND PUBLICATIONS: Miller, C. (2006, October). Curriculum as Space. Paper presented at the meeting of the Curriculum and Pedagogy Group, Marble Falls, Texas. ABSTRACT OVERCOMING BARRIERS: WOMEN IN THE SUPERINTENDENCY by Claire M. Miller Women currently represent the largest number of teachers in the United States but remain underrepresented in the superintendent position. This suggests that the superintendency has been influenced by patriarchy. If women are to break through the barriers that prevent them from attaining a superintendency, we will need to understand the social construction of the position and women superintendents’ experiences with barriers. What do women in the superintendency think about what it means to be one of a few women in a male-dominated occupation? How does gender consciousness play a role in the ability to examine and understand barriers? How do characteristics of the position interacting with gender? Literature is reviewed surrounding these questions and includes barriers with feminine expectations, career mobility, good old boy network, mentors, family obligations, and the selection process. A qualitative approach was used to examine the experiences of five female superintendents. Additionally, race was masked to protect the identities of the women. Patriarchy was identified as the central structure for understanding the women’s experiences with barriers. This study also sought to draw on the theoretical model of sociocultural explanations for the underrepresentation of women in the superintendency. This model analyzes gender differences and focuses on sex role stereotyping, career socialization, and women’s culture to describe women’s experiences. The findings indicate that women are beginning to overcome some of the barriers; however, many of them are still present. This inquiry is important because it allows us to examine the barriers within the superintendency in order to provide a new perspective to the body of literature that has historically been grounded in almost exclusively white, male, and heterosexist epistemologies. This new perspective includes methods to overcome the barriers rather than navigate them. OVERCOMING BARRIERS: WOMEN IN THE SUPERINTENDENCY by Claire M. Miller A Dissertation Presented in Partial Fulfillment of Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Educational Policy Studies in the Department of Educational Policy Studies in the College of Education Georgia State University Atlanta, Georgia 2009 Copyright by Claire M. Miller 2009 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I am forever grateful to the many people who provided constant support and encouragement during this dissertation and want to recognize your contributions to the research and writing. I would like to thank my committee members, Dr. Donna Breault, Dr. Philo Hutcheson, Dr. Jennifer Esposito, and Dr. Debra Harden for serving as my advisors and for challenging me throughout my program of study, comprehensive exams, prospectus, and dissertation. Thank you for always maintaining your high expectations and for constantly encouraging me to push myself to another level. I am especially grateful to Dr. Breault, who served as my advisor and committee chair. I want to thank her for believing in me and always letting me know that she did. I would also like to thank Dr. Eric Freeman for always providing the needed critical feedback, which helped me develop my writing skills. I am grateful for the relationships that we developed along the way and will always cherish each of you. I want to thank Barrow County Schools, especially Dr. Ron Saunders and Dr. Sylvia Weller, for your never-ending support, encouragement, and understanding. I am also grateful to all of my colleagues in Barrow County Schools and our Northeast Georgia RESA that supported me throughout this journey. Thank you for always checking on my progress and for celebrating with me along the way. Finally, I want to express my sincere gratitude to my friends and family who all helped me throughout the journey. First, I am forever indebted to my parents for their editing, insights, and constant support. Mom and Dad, I am so thankful to have you for parents and love you. Thank you for instilling the importance of education in me and for providing the needed support for me to meet this goal. I want to thank my grandparents, brother, nieces, nephews, in-laws, and dear friends for standing by me while I pursued my dream. Alisa, thank you for the numerous hours you spent transcribing the interviews for me. It has been a long journey and I appreciate everyone’s patience and understanding that I had to give up many things to complete this dissertation. Most importantly, to my husband Todd, I appreciate your constant support. Thank you for understanding the importance of accomplishing this goal and doing everything you could to help me attain it. I will always be grateful for your understanding, support, and love during this time in our lives. I love you! ii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Chapter 1 INTRODUCTION……...………………………………....................... .....1 Rationale for the Study……………………………………… …………....1 Statement of the Problem… ……………………………………………….3