Traditionally, women's leadership has been overlooked and underappreciated by researchers and policymakers although this leadership has been vital to America's ultimate success and infrastructure. Simply stated, contributions of female leadership have been overshadowed by a system that primarily values patriarchal forms of leadership and oppresses females. African American female leaders have been a part of this exclusion. This study explored the underrepresentation of African female leaders by focusing on the experiences of seven former African American female principals. To understand their perspectives and experiences, this study uses narrative life history and draws on two complementary lenses which facilitate a greater understanding of the experiences associated with African American female principals: Standpoint Theory and a Womanist perspective. The capturing of the seven former principal experiences were accomplished by tracing events from their childhood, adult life, extracting life lessons, patterns of socialization, and further exploring their everyday leadership realities. The realities included their successes, failures, limitations, reconstructions of identity, and personal resolutions as practiced through their leadership. Some of the findings within this study supported previous research findings on the principalship and some of them shed new light on possible new findings. This conclusion gives credence to the notion that research on African American female principals is vital and necessary to understand a growing population of professionals that have traditionally been omitted from leadership literature on two counts, by race and gender. As researchers further understand their unique standpoints and realities, the field of education becomes more equipped to better serve its people and purpose. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Fall Semester, 2013. / October 22, 2013. / African American, Experience, Female, Principals / Includes bibliographical references. / Stacey Rutledge, Professor Directing Dissertation; Maxine D. Jones, University Representative; Patrice Iatarola, Committee Member; Robert A. Schwartz, Committee Member.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_185188 |
| Contributors | Williams, Curtis (authoraut), Rutledge, Stacey (professor directing dissertation), Jones, Maxine D. (university representative), Iatarola, Patrice (committee member), Schwartz, Robert A. (committee member), Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies (degree granting department), Florida State University (degree granting institution) |
| Publisher | Florida State University, Florida State University |
| Source Sets | Florida State University |
| Language | English, English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text, text |
| Format | 1 online resource, computer, application/pdf |
| Rights | This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s). The copyright in theses and dissertations completed at Florida State University is held by the students who author them. |
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