The purpose of this qualitative study was to give an indepth and insightful description of the personal and professional worlds of the women high school principals of grades 9-12 in Tennessee in 1993. Specific areas which were addressed in the study included: (1) personal background information, (2) career paths and goals, (3) personal influences upon the women (4) possible barriers, (5) the role(s) of the woman high school principal, and (6) job demands. The data were gathered through a demographic questionnaire and the process of the long interview with open-ended questions with all seventeen of the women high school principals in Tennessee in 1993. Instead of aggregate descriptions, the intent of the analysis was to utilize the direct quotes of the women whenever possible to present a clearer representation of the women's individual perceptions or "life-world". The findings of the study indicated some overall commonalities, specifically in career decisions, educational background, and career paths. The women were greatly influenced to enter teaching by their parents and their teachers. Most of the women had undergraduate majors and minors in English and social studies. Only one of the seventeen women began her career with any career plan other than teaching. The women did not perceive that they had experienced major career barriers, particularly relative to family responsibilities. However, the majority perceived that being "female" was in itself a barrier. The women characterized themselves as spending more time in management than in instructional leadership. Overwhelmingly, the women mentioned "time constraints." The women acknowledged the recent or current existence of a "good ole boy network" in their school systems. They recognized the importance of "mentors," "visibility," and "networking" to career advancement. They recommended to women high school principal aspirants to learn all they can about the job, be visible, work hard, and not be discouraged. The results of this study should prove pertinent in the field of education and particularly to women administrative aspirants and administrative preparation programs.

This qualitative study examined and analyzed mentoring relationships from the personal perspectives and experiences of nine African American women in higher level educational administration leadership positions that have been mentored during their career and who currently hold or have held higher level educational administration leadership positions. The study shed light and brought forth corroboration of previous studies which highlighted that it is often difficult for African American women to attain and retain higher level educational administration leadership positions and the necessity for support systems, namely mentoring relationships. Respondents provided valuable information, evidence, and insight that may be useful in selecting, supporting, retaining, and promoting other African American women into leadership positions. African American women who seek higher level leadership positions in educational administration often face insurmountable barriers, according to the research respondents. These barriers can be attributed to stereotypes related to race, age, and gender. The responses of study participants are supported by the research literature which describes how women, in general, tend to give up their quest for leadership positions when they feel overwhelmed and unsupported while attempting to navigate through the obvious and hidden barriers (Grove & Montgomery, 2001; Malone, 2001). The data from this study shed light on the fact that African American women interested in higher level educational administration leadership positions need access to support systems that contribute to their job success and satisfaction. The respondents reported that engaging in mentoring relationships helped them bridge the gap between theory and practice. Additionally, they stated that more than one mentor, bringing varied perspectives to the mentee, was needed to help address job-related challenges. The respondents further reported that mentoring relationships are beneficial to both the mentor and mentee and emphasized that the mentoring relationships should be open and both the mentor and mentee should be approachable. In summation, even with its imperfections and inconsistencies, respondents noted that the mentoring process continues to be one of the best ways to provide a lasting influence on the attitudes, knowledge, expertise, and professionalism of African American women who are seeking to attain or retain higher level educational administration leadership positions.

The purpose of this study was to determine the barriers to advancement as perceived by women administrators in the California State University, and to identify those barriers perceived as the greatest obstacles. A twenty-one item questionnaire was developed through a comprehensive review of the literature and sent to 400 full-time women administrators holding a management position within the California State Universities. Seventy-one percent of the questionnaires were returned. Questionnaire results indicate that eleven items were categorized as “moderately important to important” barriers to advancement. Ten items were categorized as “slight to moderately important” barriers to advancement. No item on the questionnaire was considered “not a barrier” to advancement by the participants. The most serious barriers women must overcome if they wish to advance in administration have to do with lack of geographical mobility, role conflict between career and family, absence of mentoring or other support system unfamiliarity in negotiating politics within the male dominated “ole boys” system, and exclusion from the informal communication network. Perceptions of barriers were examined from the perspective of women who held different positions in the administrative hierarchy. No statistically significant differences in perceptions were found among the different steps of the hierarchical ladder. Perceptions of internal barriers were correlated to age, marital status, number of years in administration, size of institution, career path for advancement, and ultimate position desired. The ultimate position desired was the only significant predictor. Perceptions of external barriers were not correlated to age, marital status, number of years in administration, size of institution, career path for advancement, ultimate position desired; participants perceived external barriers to advancement similarly. The study provides recommendations for practice and future research.

This study explores African American women elementary school principals and how their race and gender impact their decision-making practices as they relate to suspension. Principals are faced with deciding how to implement a variety of policies, including curriculum and instruction, student safety and other district initiatives. Special attention is given to suspension because it impacts the average daily attendance funds that schools receive, and if students are not attending school due to suspension, their academic achievement suffers. In addition, there is an increasing national rate of suspension (Ferges, E. & Noguera, P, 2010) that is leading to heightened responsibilities as it relates to discipline. Sacramento County in California was selected as the site of this study due to its diverse population of elementary students. The research question for this study was: How does the intersection of race and gender impact the decisions related to suspensions for African American women elementary school principals? The theoretical framework used to answer this question is Black Feminist Thought (Collins, 2000). Through in-depth interviews, the women revealed how double consciousness and the dual oppression of race and gender impacted their decisions regarding suspension. Black feminist thought focuses on the marginalized status of African American women and places their experiences at the center of the discourse. With this in mind, the data yielded findings in the following areas 1) race, 2) race and gender, 3) suspension, 4) networking, and 5) mentoring. The intent of this study was to contribute to the field by researching African American women elementary school principals. The focus of suspension practices was selected because of the troubling relationship between academic achievement and suspension. The discourse on African American women in educational leadership has historically been silent, as both a gendered and racialized group (Dillard, 1995). This study attempted to expand the majority of research literature on educational leadership, which has primarily focused on the experiences of White men and women (Bell & Chase, 1993). In addition, this study contributes to suspension scholarship as it considers the elementary school context and the role of race and gender in suspension decisions.

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