Exploring intersectionality and the employment of school leaders

Purpose There is growing recognition of the importance of educator diversity. The purpose of this paper is to examine the production, placement and employment of school leaders as assistant principals, principals and school leaders in Texas by the intersection of race/ethnicity and gender over 23 years. Design/methodology/approach This is a quantitative study that employs multilevel logistic regression analysis to examine using 25 years of educator employment data from Texas. Findings The authors find descriptive evidence of an increase in diversity of school leaders driven by a decreasing percentage of white men educators and an increasing percentage of Latina educators. Important differences, however, emerge when examining assistant principal vs principal positions, particularly with respect to the odds of being hired. The authors find black male and Latino educators are more likely than white male educators to be hired as an assistant principal but are less likely than white male educators to be hired as a principal. Women educators, regardless of race/ethnicity were less likely to be hired as assistant principals or principals relative to white male educators. Women of color had the lowest odds of being hired in any position relative to white male educators. With respect to school leader preparation program accountability, the authors find few program characteristics associated with placement and differences between programs explained very little of the variation in placement rates, bringing into question efforts to hold programs accountable for such outcomes. Originality/value A longitudinal examination of racial/ethnic and gender intersectionality over 25 years is a unique contribution to the study of inequitable access to school leadership positions.

The School Leader Communication Model: An Emerging Method for Bridging School Leader Preparation and Practice

School leaders make countless decisions but do not receive adequate preparation for communicating their decisions to parents, students, and teachers. Building on the need to prepare school leaders for a variety of complex professional situations, this article introduces the medical education pedagogy of standardized patients to the field of school leader preparation, outlining how simulated interactions serve as a pedagogical bridge between school leader preparation and practice.

Enhanced Learning and Leading in a Technology Rich, 21st Century Global Learning Environment

This chapter explores the evolution of thinking about learning, resulting from the increasingly ubiquitous presence of instructional technology and communications technology in learning environments. It provides a short history of the pedagogical growth of technology usage. It further describes the impact of technology on the potential transformation of four-walled classrooms into global, online learning communities from a constructivist perspective, while looking at learner/teacher roles in the learning process. The Global Forum on School Leadership (GFSL) and the Global Forum on Educational Research (GFER) are introduced as applications of interactive educational technology, suitable for twenty-first century learners, teachers, and school leaders, that emphasize creation of new knowledge using exploration and collaboration through self directed, technology-enhanced learning controlled by the learner. The intent of this discussion is to explore the impact of technology on learning, and recognize the transformative power behind introducing this learning experience into school leader preparation programs.

Enhanced Learning and Leading in a Technology Rich, 21st Century Global Learning Environment

This chapter explores the evolution of thinking about learning, resulting from the increasingly ubiquitous presence of instructional technology and communications technology in learning environments. It provides a short history of the pedagogical growth of technology usage. It further describes the impact of technology on the potential transformation of four-walled classrooms into global, online learning communities from a constructivist perspective, while looking at learner/teacher roles in the learning process. The Global Forum on School Leadership (GFSL) and the Global Forum on Educational Research (GFER) are introduced as applications of interactive educational technology, suitable for twenty-first century learners, teachers, and school leaders, that emphasize creation of new knowledge using exploration and collaboration through self directed, technology-enhanced learning controlled by the learner. The intent of this discussion is to explore the impact of technology on learning, and recognize the transformative power behind introducing this learning experience into school leader preparation programs.