An In-Depth Qualitative and Quantitative Analysis to Determine the Factors That Affect the Existence of African American Women Superintendents in the North Carolina K-12 Public School System.

The purpose of this study is to study how race, gender, values, attitudes and power perceptions of leaders contribute to the recruitment, retention, and training of African American female superintendents. This study is focused on African American female superintendents and their experiences that led to the acquisition of the position. The overarching question in this study is: how do race, gender, values, attitudes and power perceptions influence the success of African American female superintendents?. The data collection tools for this qualitative study include observations, focus group with African American women from the same state who are in the Education field but not superintendents, and interviews with current and former African American female superintendents and those who report directly to them. Through the lenses of critical race and social power theories, the researcher seeks to identify commonalities amongst the experiences of the participants to extract key elements that affect their success. With these key elements to success identified, they can be incorporated into the journeys of future leaders and increase the number of African American females who can successfully attain this position of power in the Southern State in this study. The implications of this study show that there is a need for a change in the way and timing of the way African American women are trained to lead.