Leadership Matters April 2015

5 / 30

5
By Michael Chamness
IASA Director of Communications
Sheila Harrison-Williams and Constance Collins
have climbed some pretty steep hills. One was raised
on the west side of Chicago, the other in Gary,
Indiana. They attained their doctorate degrees, they
have achieved their goal of becoming school
superintendents, and each of them has a lengthy and
impressive list of awards and recognitions. Making it
to the top of their profession in public education didn’t
come easy, and now they are lending a hand up to
other aspiring superintendents.
This summer, they will be hosting their fifth
annual National Alliance of Black School Educators
(NABSE) Aspiring Superintendents Summer Institute.
from around the country who are selected for one of
the coveted 40 slots, the institute is a professional
development and networking bonanza. For Harrison-
Williams and Collins it is a way to give back and help
others overcome the daunting odds facing minority
candidates for the superintendency.
“We became educators to have a positive impact
on the lives of children,” said Harrison-Williams, who
serves as superintendent of the Hazel Crest school
district in south Cook County. “I truly believe that the
work we are doing is a calling.”
Noting that African American superintendents
comprise less than 3 percent of the nation’s more
than 13,000 public school superintendents, Collins
says that minority children need more role models in
those leadership positions.
“The road is not easy and as a result of our own
journeys, we are aware of the struggles African
Americans encounter during their ascension to the
top position,” said Collins, who is superintendent of
the Round Lake school district about 50 miles north
of Chicago. “The increasing number of minority
students across our nation validates the need for an
increased number of minorities in the
superintendency.”
Indeed, Illinois in 2014 for the first time became a
“majority minority” state, with Hispanic (24.6 percent),
African American (17.5 percent), and other minorities
totaling 50.1 percent according to the state’s
interactive report card. However, according to
statistics from the State Board, minorities comprise
only 9.4 percent of the superintendents, 16 percent of
the assistant superintendents, 22.9 percent of the
principals and 17.8 percent of the teachers in Illinois.
(Continued on page 6)
Illinois duo offers hand up to help
boost number of minority school leaders
“We became educators to have a
positive impact on the lives of children, I
truly believe that the work we are doing is
a calling.”
-- Hazel Crest Superintendent Dr. Sheila
Harrison-Williams, who is co-director of the
NABSE Aspiring Superintendents Summer
Institute