Extraordinary Women in Texas:

A Phenomenological Studyof Mexican American Female

Superintendents

Presented by Dr. Sonia Rodriguez

This was a qualitative study and the purpose was to explore the personal experiences of Mexican American females who have been successful in obtaining and retaining the superintendent position.

Research Questions What have been the experiences of Mexican American women

while seeking and operating within the superintendency? What factors motivate Mexican American women to seek the

superintendent position? What strategies and supports are available to Mexican

American females as they seek and retain a superintendent's position?

Purpose of Study

Rationale of Study

Superintendents in Texas

Series1

Females

Mexican American Females

Males

Mexican American Female (14)

Female (233)

Male (911)

Total 1,144

Women remain underrepresented in the superintendency with even less Mexican American female representation.

The study portrays a holistic picture of each individual experience within the context of the phenomenon.

The collection of data was conducted in three phases:1. surveys, 2. face to face interviews and observations, and 3. document review and field notes.

The primary source of information for this study came from the in-depth interviews with Mexican American female superintendents. All 14 Latina Superintendents were contacted; 7 of the women were able to participate in the study.

Data Collection & Analysis

The participants of the study shared a number of common characteristics.

They were Mexican American women serving as the district leader in a public school district with a predominately Hispanic student enrollment.

When asked to identify themselves as either Latino or Hispanic, they all chose Hispanic.

Each woman had over 20 years of experience in public education. (They differed in the number of superintendencies they had held, the total years of practice as a superintendent, and the levels of education they had attained. )

The prominent themes which emerged from the data analysis included

racism, cultural congruency, gender stereotypes, district appeal, and school board politics.

The participants demonstrated personal attributes of

self-efficacy and confidence, resiliency, determination, and perseverance, and commitment and dedication.

Findings

Each of the participants described encounters with customary racism and

ethnicity preconceptions at some point in their lives and issues related to past segregation practices during their administrative careers.

Estrella “I began to receive hate mail, and then we had a bomb threat in one of the board meetings…the letter said ‘if you do not get rid of the Mexican we will get rid you..

Rita, “Prejudice still exists , hay muncho Mexicana probé y ignórate [ignorant and poor]…for those of who say it does not exist, they are lying, it exists.”

Irma, “Our community has experienced several years of segregation that had taken place and it influences and impacts generations of families as a result of those experiences...”

Racism & Segregation

Overcoming barriers. Mexican American women seeking the

superintendency have had to overcome barriers related to gender and ethnicity biases (Couch, 2007 and Gonzalez, 2007). The women in this study revealed significant challenges related to gender and/or ethnicity as they advanced within the administrative hierarchy.

Estrella refers to hate mail, “It was somewhat painful…I am Mexican, that's all there is to it…I knew that there were people like that in the town….but, it shocked me that here we are in 2000 something and they are still doing that. It was an experience, it was a moment…I was able to get past it”.

Gabriella “I had some very difficult times when I was a high school principal …with the superintendent, because, one he was Anglo and prejudiced…Basically, I was female…no matter what I did, no matter how high we were, it was never enough…he thought he could badger me…he was determined that I was not good enough for the position.

Overcoming Barriers

Perseverance and determination. The women expressed traits of perseverance and determination which allowed them to gain the necessary credentials to continue their advancement towards the superintendency.

Rita “ I was struggling, because I took care of my grandparents, I was divorced, I had two jobs, and I had a son…I drove twice a week after work to [college campus].

Gabriella “I had four kids, got divorced, so I was a single parent for a very long time…I had to work two jobs…I would teach during the day and then I would attend college in the evenings… I was determined…it took me forever to get my master’s degree…five years and then the opportunity came along with a doctoral program…I was already with my now husband, I still had kids at home…so I took that on…It was very difficult.”

Perseverance and Determination

Motivation for Seeking the SuperintendencyThe participants expressed commitment for improving educational opportunities for all children.

Improving educational opportunities. A common vision that existed among the women was making systematic changes to “troubled,” “broken,” or “shattered” school districts.

Estrella said, “I found one troubled district…they were academically unacceptable…I just tweaked a few things and we were able to turn it around.”

Rachel “Coming into the district it wasn’t broken, it was shattered, it was not to the point that we could grab pieces and try to glue them to together. It was literally knocking it down completely and starting from scratch”

Motivation

School Districts

Location. The results of this study reveal evident and distinct patterns in school district demographics and the locations of the school districts that Mexican American female superintendents lead.

School district history. "Troubled” or “Broken and Shattered” and History of Segregation.

Rachel, “ I knew we were broken coming in, because that was what the data was telling me, but coming into the district it wasn’t broken it was shattered!... It was literally knocking it down completely and starting from scratch.”

Locations of Mexican America Superintendents

Number of Mexican American Female Superintendents in Each RegionsSuperintendents Region 1 Region 2 Region 13 Region 19 Region 20

Participants 1 4 1 0 1Non-Participants 3 3 0 1 0Total 4 7 1 1 1

Regional Areas with Latina Superintendents

Cultural MatchThe participants applied for positions in school districts that were similar to their culture and life experiences.

Politics of fitThe results of this study support the “unwritten rules” of school board members fostering the “subconscious preferences for affiliations with those most like ourselves” in their selection of superintendents (Tallerico, 2000, p. 108). The organizational make-up of the school boards that hired the Mexican American female superintendents were primarily comprised of Hispanic men and women, and were representative of the community demographics

Cultural Congruency

Tooms, et all (2010) critiqued the customary perception of “fit” and asserted “that our measures of fit in terms of leadership are one dimensional”. The results of this study suggest that the politics of fit is a common barrier for Latinas.

What is best “fit” or “match”?Considering there are no Mexican American female superintendents located in the other areas of the state, one can infer that these school districts have yet to consider Mexican American women as a “match” for their school districts. Tallerico’s (2000) reported that search consultants, who tend to be White men, place value on the “interpersonal chemistry” between school board members and potential candidates. This places barriers for women of color The participants in this study did not speak of seeking the

superintendent position in other areas of the state and they shared their assumption that some school districts would consider them less desirable candidates.

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Perceptions of School Leadership

Superintendent School Board RelationshipsThe reasons these women were chosen to lead these particular school districts was not only because they fit in with the community, but also because: (a) their interpersonal chemistry with the school board members was valued, and (b) they had the personal strengths that matched the school district’s needs.

Irma “What has allowed me to relate to the community, is being bilingual and understanding the culture. Not only for being Hispanic, but also having experience in middle class values, but understanding the poverty side of it. Because you have been around it and you have lived it”.

A positive trusting relationship was essential in their ability to navigate the role of the superintendency.

Compatibility

The women in this study defy the traditional Mexican American sex-role

stereotypes and affirmed themselves in what has been a traditional “male occupation”(Tallerico & Blount, 2004).

Collectivism. The participants often spoke of their responsibilities to other members of their groups. Mexican American girls are traditionally raised with collectivist ideals where her sense of self is based on her affiliation and responsibility to the other members of the group and not on her own personal achievement(Trumball, Rothstein, Greenfield, & Quiroz, 2001). Anzaldua (2006) asserted that in the Mexican American culture, “if you do not behave like everyone else, la gente, will say, que te crees grande,” (p. 17).

Cultural Influences

Mexican American women have overcome the challenge of the traditional sex-role expectations that have been governed for many years by culture and tradition (Quilantan & Ochoa, 2004).

Gender roles. Anzaldua (2006) claimed that Mexican American women are considered selfish when they do not surrender to traditional role expectations. The men had the power and the women were expected to accept the value system created by men and display a subservient role (Anzaldua, 1987).

Gender Differences: Power and “Control. The conversations with some of the participants revealed challenges related to gender as a result of working with school with district school boards whose members were mostly Hispanic men.

Gabriella “I was very apprehensive because you are talking about all Hispanic men, and I knew that some of those males were going to have some issues you know, adhering to certain things I would have to say.

There are no mentors out there and the visibility of Latina superintendents. When there has been …she comes crashing down…in very prominent headlines and things go wrong…So then, that doesn’t help because then they start stereotyping and even those districts to accept another Latina to come in, will not. They would not do that to men, ‘cause it could be a White man who did the same thing…so they will not replace her with another Latina…

Cultural Conflicts

Gender Stereotyping. Tallerico and Blount (2004) assert that the role of the superintendent has traditionally “been defined and institutionalized as men’s work” (p.642). The women spoke of gender biases that exist in the role of the superintendency and acknowledged that these biases maybe barriers for others.

Isabel, “You can infiltrate and really get to know the good ole boy system and earn their respect…because they are good ole boys, and they are going to think like their own, and they are not as willing to give Latinas an opportunity, because, there are not that many to say that have a good track record…it is very much male dominated still…I think, I am the exception”.

Rita “I honestly think that we are not given a chance…I think we are viewed as curriculum people. I think that we are viewed with thinking with the heart and not with our heads. Just not given the chance, we have not proven ourselves and part of the reason is because sometimes we cry. People think because you listen it is a sign of weakness.”

Gender Bias

The participants each utilized specific strategies and support mechanisms

as the navigated their ascension to the superintendency.

Mentorship & Sponsorship. The women in the study received mentorship and/or sponsorship as they sought the superintendency. Mentorship is receiving encouragement, career related advice, and the

development of confidence and trust from another individual seeking mentoring.

Sponsorship is the creation of professional opportunities for others by creating opportunities that help overcome social and political barriers for certain members of a group (Kowalski, 2006).

Social Capital The women established influential networks by structuring strong connections with other professionals structures and community members.

Family

Strategies and Support

The experiences of these extraordinary women will benefit search

consultants and school boards by providing them an understanding of cultural congruency and knowledge of common personal traits that were displayed by the participants of this study.

It is important to increase the representation of this group so that other students from different cultural backgrounds have access to Mexican America female role models.

It is important for aspiring Mexican American female superintendents to remain cognizant that a good fit with members of the school board and the community is imperative in their ability to successfully navigate the superintendency. Gabriella, “ I basically told them, if you want me to change it and if you want

improvement …if you want to get out of he hole that we are in. Then you have to follow my lead and let me do what I need to do. You need to trust me…whether they are good, bad, or ugly. You are always going to know what is going on. They were in a lot of trouble, with audits that they had never seen before.

Implications and Recommendations

Mentorship. Aspiring Mexican American female superintendents need assistance in connecting with those who have critical information exclusive to the superintendency.

Just do it. Aspiring Latina Superintendents need to seize the moment or opportunity.

Rachel, “I never expected to leave, so leaving was a big deal. I mean it was a leap of faith. It really was a huge leap of faith… I had to make a choice; you can spend the rest of your life wondering whether if you were able to be a superintendent or not or just go out there and do it.

Isabel, I was going to be at their mercy [current school district], you know, whenever they felt like I was ready, and they could leave me as principal for 20 years, you know, and never really give me that opportunity. But yet, here's this district that's willing to give me the opportunity, now!...keep the principal-ship in an uncertain future of when you would become [superintendent]?, or do it now and just you know . . . be brave and go for it!

Aspiring Latina Superintendents

The research on Latina superintendents remains limited on a national level. The data from this study did not disclose whether other Mexican American women encounter barriers related to ethnicity and gender while actively seeking the superintendency in the other regions of the State. It cannot be assumed that this phenomenon is representative of other

Mexican American women, nor other women of color.

The study was from the lens of an individual researcher with a Chicana feminist perspective with preconceived biases. A researcher with a different background most likely would interpret the data from a different perspective.

The phenomenological inquiry focused on the meanings of the experiences

of these seven Mexican American women from their perspectives at the time of the study, it cannot be assumed that their perspectives would have remained the same in a different setting or at a different point in time.

Limitations