I consider myself an accidental leader. Growing up I loved school and always wanted to be a teacher. My younger sister was born when I was seven years old and I was certain the sole purpose of her existence was to be the pupil in my imaginary school. It never occurred to me even after I secured my first teaching job many years later that I had the capacity to lead.

But I was fortunate early in my career to have someone believe in me, and champion my growth and advancement. Today I lead a dynamic, thriving school with over 1600 students from Pre-Kindergarten to 12^th grade.

So You Want To Lead?

However, the odds aren’t necessarily in your favor if you are a female educator aspiring to lead.

• Three women have held the role of United States Secretary of Education (Richmond, 2017)

• Around 33% of independent school heads are women (Pincus, 2016)

• Women serve as college presidents in about 30% of college and university (Seltzer, 2017)

• Women average 75% of all K-12 public school teaching positions, but only 30% of educational leadership roles (Lennon 2013)

It makes one wonder why, in a profession that has always been so heavily populated by women, do gender equity issues still exist? What prevents women from “shattering the glass ceiling?”

Learning From Those At the Top

The good news is that women who have attained roles at the top are sharing their stories, providing insight into their success, and helping pave the way for the next generation of educational leaders.

Interviews with educational trailblazers such as Shirley Hufstedler, Michelle Rhee and Wendy Kopp for a 2011 study revealed that in addition to personal qualities such as persistence and talent, being supported both by female mentors on the job and by spouses and family at home enabled the women to reach positions most often held by men. Further, those interviewed suggested that formal mentorship programs specifically designed for women, job sharing, child-care and flexible hours are ways to support women to balance family responsibilities with work demands (Litmanovitz 2011).

Mentors Make the Difference

“The delicate balance of mentoring someone is not creating them in your own image, but giving them the opportunity to create themselves.”                                                                                                                         Steven Spielberg

My path to leadership was born out of someone else’s belief in me, which gave me the courage to take a chance, and the support of several outstanding leaders who were there to help navigate the challenges. Having a mentor made all the difference. Each of us has a responsibility to our profession to give back, to encourage and to support the next generation of female educational leaders. Our schools, our students and our future will be so much better for it.

Lennon, T. (2013). Benchmarking Women’s Leadership in the United States. University of Denver – Colorado Women’s College. Denver, CO.

Litmanovitz, M. (2011). Beyond the classroom: Women in Education Leadership. Kennedy School Review, 11, 25-28.

Pincus, A. (2016). A Call for More Inclusive, Empathetic Leadership. NAIS. Retrieved from https://www.nais.org/learn/independent-ideas/november-2016/a-call-for-more-inclusive,-empathetic-leadership/

Richmond, E. (2017). The Education Secretaries Betsy DeVos Would Follow. The Atlantic. Retrieved from https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2017/01/betsy-devoss-predecessors/515139/

Seltzer, Rick. (2017). The Slowly Diversifying Presidency. Inside Higher Ed. Retrieved from https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2017/06/20/college-presidents-diversifying-slowly-and-growing-older-study-finds