Thesis--PlanB (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Stout, 2003. / Includes bibliographical references.

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The number of women in educational leadership positions has increasingly grown over the last few decades. However, there still are discrepancies between the number of women in education and the number of women represented in educational leadership, especially in the superintendency. The irony of this research is that professors in educational administration programs continually comment about a strong majority of their students being women. Furthermore, educational certification agencies report that the majority of those licensed for educational leadership positions are women. The purposes of the study was to: (a) provide opportunities for female senior administrators to offer their understanding of the barriers and challenges they have encountered during their career; (b) provide insight into the mentorship experiences and support they have received during their career; and, (c) describe their preferred/espoused leadership styles. Female superintendents identified a number of challenges over the course of their career: balancing career and home life, gender discrimination, various work conflicts and relocation. In contrast, the women in the study acknowledged the mentorship experiences and support that they received during their career from various professional colleagues or groups, educative institutions or programs, and family and friends. Their preferred leadership styles included a strong focus on relationships seconded by management and pedagogical issues. The study culminates by outlining various recommendations for practice, research and theory in chapter five.

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The major purpose of the study was to identify inservice activities in which Indiana public school superintendents participated and to assess the relationship between inservice participation and the professional development of the school superintendent as perceived by the school superintendent. The specific purposes were to determine:1. The types of inservice activities in which school superintendents participated for professional growth.2. The value, as perceived by the school superintendent, of inservice activities as a means of professional growth. 3. The amount of financial support allowed by school boards for the school superintendent's inservice activities. 4. The extent of written school board policy dealing exclusively with inservice activities of the school superintendent.5. The role of related professional organizations in the development of inservice professional growth activities for the school superintendent.Methods and procedures used to determine the involvement of public school superintendents in inservice activities and programs for professional growth and development were the questionnaire and interviews. The questionnaire was constructed to elicit data from school superintendents and the interview was used with study participants who were not public school superintendents, but were involved in providing inservice activities and functions for the school superintendent.Responses from both the questionnaire and the interviews were tabulated in the following categories: school district data; personal, career and preparation data; professional reading; inservice participation; school study councils; inservice planning; school board interest and support; financial support; school board policy; conclusions; and interviews.Conclusions elicited from the findings of the study and the review of the related literature and research were:1. The involvement of public school superintendents in programs of inservice training is necessary for all superintendents regardless of the degree, extent or recency of preservice training.2. All public school superintendents utilized self-initiated professional reading programs as a means of inservice growth. The degree of utilization was dependent upon the perceived value of professional reading as an effective method of maintaining professional currency.3. Public school superintendent inservice participation was largely with organizations in which superintendents maintained memberships or close working relationships.4. Public school superintendents maintained more active inservice involvement with regional and state-centered organizations than with nationally centered organizations.5. School superintendents who were members of school study councils considered the study councils of great value in providing inservice programs and activities which enhanced professional growth.6. School superintendents participated most often in organizations in which the superintendent was involved in the planning of the inservice activities and programs.7. School superintendents perceived receiving average interest and encouragement from school boards for inservice professional growth programs.8. School superintendents rated the amount of financial support allotted by school boards to superintendents for professional inservice activities as adequate.9. Few school corporations have written school board policy directly related to the inservice activities of the school superintendent.10. School study councils, superintendent associations, and state education departments are regarded as natural sources for providing inservice professional growth activities for school superintendents.

The purpose of the study was to determine the perceptions of member superintendents regarding topics and services provided by the study councils affiliated with Ball State University. The total population consisted of 116 superintendents of school corporations which were members of study councils affiliated with Ball State University.A questionnaire consisting of fifty-four items and two Likert type response scales was utilized. Superintendents were asked to indicate on the first scale the degree to which the item ideally should be provided and on the second scale the degree to which the item actually was provided by study councils. Treatment of the data included tabulation of the frequency and percentage for each level of the ideal scale and actual scale of each questionnaire item. Two means were calculated for each item. The first mean represented the degree to which the study council ideally should provide the subject of the item. The second mean represented the degree to which the study council actually did provide the subject of the item. The difference between the ideal and actual mean was considered important if a numerical value of 1.00 was exceeded.FindingsThe highest degrees to which services ideally should be provided by study councils were indicated by member superintendents for the following items:Study Council MeetingsProfessional Sharing Between Council Members Organizing Workshops for Superintendents Organizing and Disseminating Surveys or Studies Compiling a Directory of Members Study Council RetreatsInformation concerning Negotiations/PL 217 Distributing Periodic NewslettersInformation concerning Curriculum Development Information concerning Educational Accountability Information concerning Management TeamThe highest degrees to which services actually were provided by study councils were indicated by member superintendents for the following items:Study Council MeetingsCompiling a Directory of Members Professional Sharing Between Council Members Organizing and Disseminating Surveys or Studies Organizing Workshops for Superintendents Study Council RetreatsInformation concerning Negotiations/PL 217 Information concerning Management Team Superintendents did not indicate a difference of 1.00 or more between the ideal degree mean and actual degree mean for any questionnaire item.ConclusionsServices provided by study councils affiliated with Ball State University were meeting the needs of member superintendents.Superintendents perceive the activities requiring the direct involvement of member superintendents as being the most important services provided by study councils affiliated with Ball State University.