rhodena townsell - phd dissertation defense - dr. william allan kritsonis, dissertation chair

8/8/2019 Rhodena Townsell - PhD Dissertation Defense - Dr. William Allan Kritsonis, Dissertation Chair

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RURAL AFRICAN AMERICAN ADMINISTRATOR

CAREER TRAJECTORIES

A Dissertation Defense by

Rhodena Townsell

January 26, 2009

Chair: William Allan Kritsonis, Ph.D.



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Committee MembersWilliam Allan Kritsonis, Ph.D.

( Dissertation Chair)

David Herrington, Ph.D. Camille Gibson, Ph.D.

(Member) (Member)

Donald Collins, Ph.D.

(Member)



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Dissertation Defense FormatI. Purpose of the Study

II. Research Questions

III. Conceptual FrameworkIV. Method

V. Major Findings

VI. Conclusions

VII. Implications

VIII. Challenge

IX. Recommendations for Further Study

X. References



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Purpose of the StudyThe purpose of this study was to describe

factors that influence the career trajectories

of successful rural African American

administrators. Literature suggests that aspiring

school leaders may gain insight from the

experiences of others that will result in a better

understanding of the diverse career pathways

toward successful school leadership (Crenshaw,

2004).



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Research Questions1. What childhood and academic experiences, including

encouragements and barriers, influence the career pathways of

rural African American administrators?

2. What work experiences, including encouragements and barriers,

Influence the career pathways of rural African American

administrators?

3. What characteristics of rural African American administrators

appear to influence their career pathways?



Conceptual Framework

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Conceptual Framework

Supporting LiteratureThis framework was constructed because traditional

models in leadership are developed by using mostly

Caucasian males and should not be generalized for other groups of individuals (Kezar & Moriarty, 2000).

Theodore Kowalski, an authority in the area of

educational administration, relates that other groups of

individuals experience the world in their own unique

way (Valverde & Brown (1988) cited in Kowalski, 2003).

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Method

Qualitative Descriptive Study

Data was collected in the form of Structured Personal Interviews

A review of literature was the basis for preliminary theme

identification Member Checking was utilized to give the interview participants

an opportunity to review and clarify their responses to the

interview questions

Data was reduced and extracted by clustering and marginalcoding (Fraenkel & Wallen, 2006; Miles & Huberman, 1994)

Microsoft Word was used as the transcribing tool



99January 26, 2009January 26, 2009

Method

An 80% response rate was collected from the 20 Texas Regional

Education Service Centers & the Texas Alliance of Black School

Educators (T ABSE) by Snowball Sampling.

A Population of 17 African American administrators from eight

remote Texas Rural Systemic Initiative (TRSI) school districts was

discovered. Five of the districts were located in East Texas, Two

in West Texas, and one in Central Texas.

A total of seven individuals agreed to participate in the study. One

was interviewed for the pilot study and the remaining six becamethe sample.



Method A Pilot Study was conducted using the interview questions from

the dissertation, Small Missouri Public School Female

Superintendent Career Stories (Benson, 2006).

Prior to the study, the words superintendent andsuperintendency were replaced with the words administrator and

administrative and the word gender was replaced with word race.

The word Missouri was replaced with the word Texas.

After the pilot study, the first question was divided into two

separate questions because of the lengthy nature of the response

necessary for the first half of the question. Questions 7 and 8 wereadded to the instrument to obtain information to answer research

question 3. All changes to the interview instrument were reported to

the IRB.

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MethodInterview Questions

1. Would you tell me about your childhood?

2. Would you tell me about your educational background?

3. How long have you been in the education field? How long as anadministrator?

4. What motivated you to want to become an administrator?

5. What pathways or guiding compasses did you take to obtainyour position?

6. In seeking an administrative position, do you thinkthere were or are race specific career pathways or

guiding compasses?



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Method7. What things inspire and renew you?

8. Do you prefer to work in a rural setting? If so why?

9. Do you have any recommendations for aspiring rural

African American administrators about the career pathways or guiding compasses they need to take to

obtain an administrative position in a rural Texas

public school?

10. Is there any other information that you would like to add?



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Major Findings

Rural African American Administrator Population by Gender

____________________________________________________

Administrators Males Females ____________________________________________________ Superintendents 0 1

Assistant Superintendents 1 0

Principals 5 5 Assistant Principals 2 2

Program Coordinators 0 1 _____________________________________________________



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Major Findings

S ample Administrators by Job Assignment

____________________________________________ Administrators Frequency ____________________________________________ Superintendents 1

Principals 3

Assistant Principals 1Program Coordinators 1

____________________________________________



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Major Findings

Emerging Themes

³DI RECT´

Determined to Do Well

I solated yet

R urally Connected

E nduring

C ommunicators of Discipline

T rusting in the Will of God



Major Findings

Emerging Theme One

Research Question One: What childhood and academicexperiences, including encouragements and barriers,influence the career pathways of r ural African American

administrators?

Determination to Do Well



Major Findings

Supporting LiteratureEmerging Theme One: Determination to do Well

Personal drive, confidence and commitment

Leadership preparation

Willingness understand and respect other cultures

Willingness to build positive relationships

Professionalism (Bush et al, 2005)

Personal determination, courage and hard work(Kowalski, 2003)



Major Findings

Determination to do Well

Encouragements: Family, Community, Friends and Teachers

Two individuals from two parent homes quoted, ³It takes a village.´

Family and community members taught them to, ³value work, respect

others and do well´. One person, from a single parent became anEagle scout. The highest rank in scouting. Oath: I will do my best...

Barriers: Abuse, Poverty, and Negative Talk

One individual from a divorced family was encouraged to by a friend

after a teacher spoke negatively about her desire to become an

educator. Two more were from single parent homes. One of these was

raised by older siblings and encouraged to do well. The other one livedin poverty after being rescued by a grandmother from abuse at the

hands of her 16 year old mother. She was validated by teachers a who

called her smart.

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Major Findings

Emerging Theme One

Determination to do Well

Many contrasts were found in the childhood and

academic experiences of the administrators in thesample. Sample members reported childhood

experiences that ranged from being nurtured and

privileged to those of coping with poverty and abuse.

The early support and validation received by these

administrators was the chief factor in the development

of their determination to do well.



Major Findings

Emerging Themes Two & ThreeResearch Question Two: What work experiences, including

encouragements and barriers, influence the career pathwaysof r ural African American administrators?

E nduring I solated yet R urally C onnected



Major Findings

Supporting Literature

Emerging Theme Two: Isolated Yet Rurally Connected

± Rural Backgrounds, Personal Characteristics, or Educational

Experiences (Collins, 1999)

± Childhood Memories (Turner, 2004)

± Family Ties (Whitner, Jen, & Kassel)

± Isolation (Collins, 1999)

Professional

Social Geographic



Major Findings

Isolated Yet Rurally Connected

Encouragements: Family Ties, Community, Identification with

the current school or with rural schools

Four attended rural schools, Two grew up in large cities. All had only

rural experience. Two said, ³Rural schools represent family.´ Onerelated that it was her husband¶s dream to live in a rural area.

Barrier: Isolation (Professional, Social, and Geographic)

Each was the only African American administrator on the campus or at

the central office. One said that his wife was the only other African

American educator in the district. The pilot study administrator was thefirst and only African American administrator in his district. One

administrator added the words, ³few and far in between.´ Another said,

it¶s lonely at the top.´

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Major Findings

Supporting LiteratureEmerging Theme Three: Enduring

Rural poverty is at an all-time high ± Particularly in schools with large populations of African

American students New rural teachers are likely to face inadequate

housing (Laub, 2007) New rural teachers are most likely to feel isolated

(Laub, 2007)

Rural educators may be asked to work towardadditional certification Rural educators have smaller incomes (TEA, 2007)



Major FindingsSalar y Averages: Sample Rural Districts, One Urban District, and Texas

School Teacher Campus Central Office

20 + Yrs Administration Administration

1 $48,990 $59,839 $67,1652 $48,291 $58,646 $70,426

3 $48,795 $48,141 $78,946

4 $46,268 $54,941 $71,975

5 $48,880 $61,898 $73,975

6 $45,647 $54,765 $65,256

7 $48,202 $52,196 $85,0008 $49,937 $66,222 $63,863

Urban District $64,038 $71,071 $80,084

Texas $55,028 $65,506 $80,875

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Major FindingsComparison: Rural Sample Turnover Rates to that of Texas ________________

School District Percentage of Turnover

___________________________________________________________________

School 1 11%School 2 23.3%

School 3 32%

School 4 17.9%

School 5 21.6%

School 6 14.9%

School 7 17.9%School 8 31.9%

State of Texas 15.6%

________________________________________________________________

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Major Findings

Comparison of Years in Education to Years in Administration___

Years in Education Years inAdministration __________________________________________________

42 3228 1628 915 10

11 810 3

___________________________________________________



Major Findings

Enduring Encouragements: Success of Students and Teachers, Family Ties,

and Community Support

Two administrators named student and teacher success as their

encouragement, One named family ties, One was living out a dream,and another was told that she was born to do it by a professor. Her

entire community (African Americans and Caucasians) insisted that she

apply for a leadership position. All enjoyed the profession of education.

Barriers: Turnover Rates, Assignment Practices, Number of

Responsibilities, Privacy Issues, Miscommunication, and Unwritten

Policy (Community Attitudes and Taboos)One administrator remained determined and19 years passed before

she was promoted. The others contrasted with the literature findings

and worked an average of 7.4 years before administration. Another was

discouraged by the lack of rules and cited their lack of privacy

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Major Findings

Conclusion TwoIsolated Yet Rurally Connected and Enduring

Each of the administrators in the study was

the only African American administrator: on the campus,

in the district, or at the central office level and each helda viable connection to his or her school district. All of

these administrators successfully navigated their rural

systems long enough gain promotion.



Major Findings

Emerging Themes Four & FiveResearch Question Three: What characteristics of r ural

African American administrators appear to influence their career pathways?

Trusting in the will of GodCommunicators of Discipline



Major Findings

Communicators of Discipline Encouragements: Stakeholders

Four administrators were moved into administration before certification. Quotes

were, ³The district was accustomed to Black leadership´ ³looking for someone

to handle the situation´ ³Workhorse´ ³Good disciplinarian´ ³Born to do it.´ Oneadministrator was hired as the principal after one year as an assistant principal.

Another was recruited and hired after her predecessor (Caucasian) was sued

by an African American group for allegedly mishandling a young student.

Barriers: Availability of Positions and Promotion Practices

The turnover rates for the teachers in six of the eight sample school districtswere higher than the 15.6% average for the state of Texas (TEA, 2007). The

researcher has experienced that turnover rate for rural administrators is lower.

Usually someone has to retire or die.

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Major Findings

Supporting LiteratureEmerging Theme Five: Tr usting in the Will of God

African American administrators in the Bush (2005),

Echols (2007), and Turner (2004) studies indicated that

that leaders should believe in God.

These leaders believed that holding God in high

esteem and praying when there was trouble in their

personal and professional lives was beneficial.



Major Findings

Tr usting in the Will of God

Encouragements: Personal Beliefs and Perceptions

of Blessings

Quotes from the study were, ³It was God¶s will for us to always

do well,´ ³Sunday was the first day of the week at my house´,

³«and God moved again«,´ ³Just have faith. God will move

you when it is His will,´ ³God showed me that this is where He

wanted me to be,´ and "Trust in the Lord with all your heart,

and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths" (Proverbs

3:5-6).

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Major Findings

Conclusion Three

Communicators of Discipline &

Tr usting in the Will of God

All of the administrators in the study were able to meet theexpectations of key stakeholders in their school districts because

they were articulate, strong disciplinarians who could, ³handle the

situation´. All administrators were trusting in the will of God to lead

them through many challenges, including the opportunity to moveinto administration.



ImplicationsMany factors influence the career trajectories of rural African

American administrators. Their determination to do well is

developed early in life due to support and validation. Feelings

normally associated with isolation are minimized by thedevelopment of viable rural connections. Enduring rural

challenges is possibly made easier by the extension of willingness

to understand and respect the culture of their schools and

surrounding communities. This willingness has also appeared to

increase their job promotion opportunities. Especially for those

educators who are viewed as strong communicators of discipline. Finally, trusting in the will of God has given many

African American educators the faith to accept and maintain their

roles as leaders in rural education.



ChallengeAfrican American educators desiring a r ural administrative

position must be prepared for ³DI RECT´ contact with allstakeholders.

Determination todo Well

E nduring

T r usting in theWill of God

C ommunicatorsof Discipline

I solated yet

R urally Connected



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Recommendations

for Further Study1. Duplication of the study in other geographical areas

of the country.

2. Case studies of certified rural African Americans whoaspired to become leaders and were not promoted to

leadership positions.

3. A case study of a rural African American

superintendent.



REFERENCES

Bates, G. D. (2007). An analysis of African Americans in the public school

superintendency: a dissertation. Prairie View, TX: Prairie View A&MUniversity.

Benson,D. M. (2006). Small Missouri public school female superintendent

career stories: An exploration of guiding compasses. ProQuest information and Learning Company, (UM I No. 3242057).

Bush, T., Flover, D., Sood, K., Car dno, C, Kholeka, M., Potgeiter, G., and Tangie, K. (2005). Black and minority ethnic leaders. Final report to thenational college for school leadership. Retrieved March 8, 2008, fromhttp://www.ncsl.org.uk/media/28E/88 /black-and-minority-ethnic-leaders

Crenshaw, S. T. (2004). African American female school principals¶ leadershipstories: Towar d a substantive grounded theor y inquir y. ProQuest

information and Learning Company, (UM I No. 3139665).

Collins, T. (1999). Attracting and retaining teachers in r ural areas. Eric.

Retrieved Febr uar y 16, 2007, from ERIC http://eric.ed.gov



REFERENCES

Delgado, R. and J. Stefanic. (Ed.). (2000). Critical race theory: The cutting

edge. Philadelphia: Temple University Press.

Delpit, L.D. (1988). The silenced dialogue: Power and pedagogy in educatingother people¶s children. http://rpp.english.ucsb.edu /research/race-class-

and-pedagogy /delpit-lisa Harvard Educational Review . Retrieved September 19, 2007, from

Echols, C. (2007 ). Challenges facing black American principals: A conversation about coping. National Council of Professors of Educational

Administration. Retrieved July 3, 2007, from:http://cnx.org/content/m13821/latest/

Fraenkel J. R. & Wallen, N. E., (2006). How to design and evaluate research in

education. New York: The McGraw-Hill Companies.



REFERENCES

Kerka, S. (1998). Career development and gender, race, and class. ERICClearinghouse on Adult Career and Vocational Education Columbus OH.ED421641.

Kowalski, T. J. (2003) Contemporary school administration: An introduction.

Boston: Allyn and Bacon.Laub, J. D. (2007). An analysis of the rural public school superintendency: a

dissertation. Prairie View, TX: Prairie View A&M University.

Manuel, M. A. & Slate, J. R. (2003 ). Hispanic female superintendents in

America: A profile. Retrieved June 23, 2007, fromwww.advancingwomen.com

Manuel, M. A. & Slate, J. R. (2003 ). Hispanic female superintendents in America: A profile. Retrieved June 23, 2007, fromwww.advancingwomen.com

Miles, M. B. & Huberman, A. M. (1994). Qualitative data analysis. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications

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REFERENCES

Texas Education Agency (2007). Retrieved November 11, 2007, from TexasEducation Agency Website: http://www.tea.state.tx.us/

Townsell, R. & Kritsonis, W. A. (2006). National insight: A look at synnoetics inone African American female¶s journey to the principalship. Doctoral

Forum: National Journal for Publishing and Mentoring Doctoral S tudents,3(1), 1-10 Retrieved July 3, 2007, from http://www.nationalfor um.c

Turner, C. T. (2004). Voices of four African American and European American

female principals and their leadership styles in a recognized urban school

district Unpublished dissertation, Texas A & M University, College Station,TX.

Whitener, L., Jen, J., & Kassel, K. (2004). Progress and partnerships in a

dynamic America. Retrieved July 1, 2007, fromhttp://www.ers.usda.gov/amberwaves/febr uar y04/features/ blackhistor y

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³I¶m wide awake and full of fun, scared to death, but I won¶t run!´

Grandpa Ethridge Townsell 1890-1985

Thank You!"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on

your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and

He shall direct your paths" (Proverbs 3:5-6).

rhodena townsell - phd dissertation defense - dr. william allan kritsonis, dissertation chair

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