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Among the barriers minority candidates for the
superintendency face, Collins and Harrison-Williams
said, are ethnic and gender
stereotypes, lack of certifications or
degrees, reciprocity issues and
discrimination. There also are
issues on the part of some
candidates, including not
understanding what is involved in
the superintendency or the
community and board politics that
are involved in being a
superintendent.
The purpose of the institute is
to knock down as many of those
barriers as possible. The institute
not only includes top candidates
from among assistant
superintendents, directors,
coordinators, principals and other
central office administrators to fill
the 40 slots, but it also brings in
school board presidents, executives from search
firms and attorneys to serve as networking resources.
Aspiring superintendents also are able to interface
with more than a dozen African American
superintendents from across the country. Eleven
attendees from the first four years have gone on to
become superintendents, with many more having
been promoted to senior-level administrative
positions.
Dr. Shelly Davis-Jones
attended the first institute in 2011
and was back as a keynote
speaker in 2014. She now is
superintendent of Dolton District
149 in Calumet City and has
written a book titled: “Filling the
Seat: The Pathway to the
Superintendency for One African
American Woman
Superintendent” in which she
studies the journey of a person
who became one of the few
African American women school
superintendents in the United
States.
In her book, Davis-Jones wrote, “I
conclude by discussing the critical
need for women, and especially Black women, to
serve as formal and informal mentors, not just for
those women who aspire to the superintendency, but
(Continued from page 5)
“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,
The increasing number of
minority students across our
nation validates the need for
an increased number of
minorities in the
superintendency.”
--
Round Lake Superintendent
Dr. Constance Collins, co-director of
the Institute.
Demographics of Illinois K-12 Schools