The Unmet Challenge: Getting to the Top

Abstract

You've come a long way but... Wishing these sentiments were not as accurate in 1990 as they are, I continue to direct effort toward responding to the second challenge facing women in educational administration-entry into more top-level management positions in school districts and higher education. Positions identified quietly with money, power, and politics continue to be accessed rarely by more than a handful of the many competent women in the field. I have asked myself if the effort of workshops and mentor networks geared to help us in meaningful ways was making a difference. Speculation about how to help has led to this article. Major strides have been made in obtaining elementary school principalships and staff positions. However, the absence of women in top positions remains conspicuous. What are the factors that work against women gaining access to these posts? Are they external, organizational, internal, or situational? What subtle messages or differences exist in the minds of aspirants and other administrators and policy makers that inhibit opportunities for women? Are women choosing not to compete, given the limited number of role models and the perceived reality? Have women principals found their roles so fulfilling that the central office provides little interest? Or, have women simply given up? These and other questions prompted the development of a career aspiration survey of building-level administrators in Nevada. This discussion focuses on the concept of encouragement and its importance in the process of applying for a top level position.