Date of Award
1-23-2026
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Educational Leadership, Ed.D.
First Advisor
Mahauganee Bonds
Committee Members
Chris Jenkins; Karen Buchanan; Timberly Baker
Abstract
For the past twenty years, Black women have increasingly ascended to the role of school district superintendent. Black female superintendents navigate education systems that were not built with them in mind creating unique challenges. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to investigate the challenges that Black female superintendents face while navigating local school boards. This study was informed by glass ceiling theory, gendered organizations theory, and a black feminist framework establishing a research base for this study’s focus. Eight Black female superintendents were interviewed using an interview protocol. This study reveals that Black female superintendents experience similar challenges when working with local school boards. It also suggests that Black female superintendents leverage a set of common strategies to effectively work with school boards. These findings reveal the extraordinary lengths that Black women go to simply exist as superintendents in an industry that remains incompatible with their experiences. Because of this study’s findings, the field must acknowledge the cumulative and intersecting effects of race and gender on Black female superintendents. Accordingly, further exploration of the Black female superintendent experience is warranted.
Rights Management
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Dailey, Eric, "Investigating The Challenges That Black Female Superintendents Face While Navigating Local School Boards" (2026). Student Theses and Dissertations. 1152.
https://arch.astate.edu/all-etd/1152
