Marilyn Grady

University of Nebraska–Lincoln | NU · Department of Educational Administration

Women remain underrepresented in U.S. university presidential positions. Mentorship is a tool used to support women in gaining access to the position. In this qualitative study, eight U.S. women university presidents of public doctoral granting universities were interviewed about their mentorship experiences. Interviews were then coded and analyzed...

The implications of the Digital Divide in 2019 vary slightly from the onset of Internet use. Max Weber’s (1922, 1978) theory of stratification provides a foundation for understanding why the growth is slow. Defining the Digital Divide is difficult. In reality, it has moved from a situation of access to acquiring sufficient skills to use it effectiv...

Twenty‐four of 157 U.S. public research universities, within the Carnegie Classification of Doctoral Universities: Higher and Highest Research, are led by women presidents. Using Bourdieu's (1986, 2001) model of cultural capital as a theoretical framework, eight of the women presidents were interviewed to identify their experiences negotiating a pa...

In the following article, we present a brief historical review of segregation academies and their impact on students and public schools. Based on the review, we provide a portrait of the vestiges of segregation academies that appear to be currently re-emerging in different educational configurations throughout the U.S. and particularly in Deep Sout...

Eleven of the 81 public research universities within the Carnegie Classification of Doctoral Universities: Highest Research are led by woman presidents. Using Eagly & Carli's (2007) labyrinth framework, five of the women presidents were interviewed to identify their experiences navigating leadership barriers. Findings indicated that women universit...

Professionals in positions to hire or promote Hispanic women need to be educated on the effects of "tokenism" and Hispanic women need support to help them deal with its effects.

The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of women’s leadership conferences at public research universities. A search of the 2015 Carnegie Classification of Institutes of Higher Education revealed a list of 157 research universities. Of these institutions, 40 held a women’s leadership conference. Implications are discussed in how a women’...

In 2006, Bob Greene's And You Know You Should Be Glad: A True Story of Lifelong Friendship appeared. This book is the story of the same five fellows. It is a revealing portrait of the friendships that have endured in their lives. Families, careers, distance and years have not weakened the bonds of friendship for these five friends. Their commitment...

The JOURNAL OF WOMEN IN EDUCA TIONAL LEADERSHIP (ISSN 1541-6224) Published quarterly January, April, July and October, one volume per year, by ProActive Publications, 439 North Duke Street, Lan- caster, PA 17602-4967. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Journal of Women in Educational Leader- ship, 439 North Duke Street, Lancaster, PA 17602-4967.

105 The Midwest Women's Leadership Institute: Pointing the Way- Marilyn L. Grady 107 Ethical Leadership: What Does It Look Like?- Laura Schulte 115 Perceptions of Leadership Behaviors by Female Principals in North Carolina -Cheryl McFadden, Cathy Maahs-Fladung, Susan Beck-Frazier and Kermit Bruckner 135 Women Superintendents In Illinois: Gender Bar...

The most promising sights of spring in Nebraska this year were two confer- ences for women. One event, sponsored by Metropolitan Community Col- lege in Omaha, was a Women's History Month Tea. The program featured a Native American woman who greeted the guests with a Native invocation. Dressed traditionally and speaking in a native language, her pre...

1 Those Who Point the Way- Marilyn L. Grady 3 Women in History- Madame C.J. Walker & Germaine W. Huber 7 Creative Maladjustment: Engaging Personal Narrative to Teach Diversity and Social Justice- Ilene L. Ingram 23 The European Perspective on Women's Leadership- Hildegard Macha & Quirin J. Bauer

In preparing an essay on James Bryant Conant, I was struck by the title of his autobiography, My Several Lives: Memoirs of a Social Inventor (1970). The title is apropos in that Conant's career was as a professor of organic chemistry and physics, president of Harvard University from 1933 to 1953, chief civilian administrator of American nuclear res...

Some individuals seem to have an endless array of research and writing ideas; other individuals seem to have few research and writing ideas. For many, finding a way to prime the writing pump is a cause of concern. A frequently heard comment is, "I don't know how to get started." One way to discover writing opportunities is to expand your network. C...

A book by A. J. Cronin was the source of my career inspiration. Cronin wrote novels set in the life of the university. The university and the work of the professor became my career ambition. It took a number of years to achieve my goal of being a university professor. Today, a major portion of my university work is advising doctoral students. The n...

There are many stories told of the manuscripts that languish for lack of a publisher. These are often well-written, important works. One problem is that there is limited space in journals for manuscripts. If you want to be published, you must focus your writing on a publishable topic. How do you know what is publishable? One step is to review the e...

The purpose of this research study was to identify examples of women education leaders at their best. There were two parts to the study procedures. First, the women were asked to write a case story about a time when they were involved in a successful leadership experience. Second, the women were divided into small groups of 5-8. In the small groups...

In this article, the author shares Elizabeth Ann Seton's story as a woman's story. Seton was born in 1774 to a New York family. Through her work in Maryland, Seton was credited with being the founder of the parochial Catholic school system in the U.S. Seton formed a group of sisters known as the Sisters of Charity of St. Joseph. The sisters focused...

Perhaps you know writers who, "Bat it out and fix it later" as their writing strategy of choice. This method is an excellent means of getting it down while the material is fresh and the flow of writing is brisk. In fact, this is an ideal method of avoiding the practice of over editing the first sentences to avoid writing! One major flaw in this tec...

How do you keep yourself on the writing path? Writing requires persistence and determination. Writing is a lonely task. Who are you accountable to when you are writing? First, you are accountable to yourself. Only you know what your writing goals are. You set the goals; you monitor the accomplishment of the goals. How clear are you about establishi...

Great sadness, the inability to sit in front of the television and watch history in action, I lament missing every moment of the Democratic candidates in front of the television cameras. The Democrats are providing the best in historical entertainment, live at five, every day. If we only had time to capture each verbal parry and spar. Think of how...

Rural education is an important part of the American educational system. As noted in the Rural Trust report, Why Rural Matters 2003: The Continuing Need for Every State to Take Action on Rural Education: "Forty~three percent of the nation's public schools are in rural communities or small towns of fewer than 25,000 people, and 31 percent of the nat...

In a packet of materials I received as part of my registration benefits at the annual meeting of a national education group I attended, I received the conference agenda for the group from 1967. This was an interesting bit of memorabilia. The meeting I attended was the 99th annual meeting of the group. An examination of the two agendas from 1967 and...

The opportunity to read a number of manuscripts written by a variety of authors is a great experience. However, one does tend to collect a number of examples of writing faux pas that are inelegant. For instance, the burgeoning number of education acronyms may pose a barrier to reading and understanding. Acronyms should be used sparingly and, if use...

A constant factor in writing is that the "front end" of a manuscript always receives the most tender loving care. Perhaps this is because it is the first born child of the paper. You spend more time with the "front end" because it comes first and is older than the "back end." The front end is read and reread. The front end may reflect the first bur...

These are issues that have become prominent in our discussions of educational administration. In travel throughout the United States, the changing face of schools reflects the importance of these issues to education leaders. In two recent trips to educational leadership conferences held in Las Vegas, Nevada, I was struck by the variety of language...

One way to improve your writing skills is to serve as an editor or reviewer. When you read a variety of manuscripts, you increase your knowledge of the subject as well as enrich your knowledge of writing. In practitioner fields, one learns side-by-side with seasoned professionals. Just as medical professionals learn their craft knowledge through pr...

Leadership examples and women leaders can be found in many venues. The recent passing of Beverly Sills (1929-2007) spawned a flurry of tributes recounting the legacy she leaves. Described as "one of the finest high-flying sopranos of the latter 20th century, she leaves behind a rich legacy of recordings and an opera scene revitalized by her tireles...

The "gold standard" in educational leadership journals is the research- based article. An article that is data-based will find a publication outlet much more readily than an opinion-based article. Although "N of 1" accounts are interesting, space in academic journals is a scarce commodity. Since your writing time may be limited and you may have a p...

We celebrate the fifth volume of the Journal of Women in Educational Leadership with this issue. We appreciate all who have contributed to the journal through their service as reviewers, authors, and subscribers. All are critical to the journal's success. In this issue we feature manuscripts by Sperandio concerning women in Bangladesh, a manuscript...

The landscape of the rural superintendancy is in the midst of a leadership turnover as a significant number of its current administrators reach retirement age. Discussions in the literature have delineated the characteristics of successful rural superintendents and the barriers that threaten their achievement. It lacks, however, adequate discussion...

Recently, I was gifted with the best writing quotation of the season. It follows. "I don't know how many times I read this Gene Fowler quote: 'Writing is easy. All you do is stare at a blank sheet of paper until drops of blood form on your forehead'" (Weinberg, 2006, p. 8). The quote captures the truth of the writing enterprise. It isn't easy. In f...

If you sit and listen long enough, you can identify recurrent patterns of communication in organizational settings. I am struck by two communication models I observe repeatedly that involve women's voices in meetings.

One of the longest and most tiring writing tasks is writing someone else's passion. This is the situation when you accept a writing assignment on a topic that is removed from your core interests and experiences. This is much like being given a writing assignment on a topic you know little about and care even less about-the result of such a writing...

This multiple case study explored faculty formative use of student evaluation feedback. Results were based on interviews of ten education faculty members at a midwestern research university and reviews of relevant documents. It was found that end of semester student evaluation, originally used for summative evaluation, was also used by faculty for...

The inspiration for writing is reading. By reading a wide range of authors, you enhance your writing craft. Reading is the window to different writing styles, different uses of language, and different means of engaging the reader.

Recent obituaries and testimonials to Coretta Scott King and Wendy Wasserstein are reminders of the leadership legacies of these women. About Coretta Scott King (1927-2006), Burch in "The Miami Herald" (February 1, 2006) stated "Coretta Scott King built a legacy from pain and progress, first as the wife who stood tall next to a man bent on changing...

If you would like to comment on any of the manuscripts that appear in the journal, we would welcome your letters in a new Letters to the Editor column we will feature in subsequent issues. We welcome your comments and appreciate your support of the Journal of Women in Educational Leadership!

The first demand of writing productivity is to create the First Draft. One unproductive diversionary activity is to attempt to perfect your writing "too early." It is more efficient to keep writing and get the initial draft completed before editing a manuscript. Early editing can be demoralizing and derail writing momentum and flow. It is better to...

For women who have been unrecognized for their work in education, being lost due to name changes, phone changes, and email changes does not seem to be very helpful to the cause of recognizing the work of the 51 %. We have had enough invisibility and enough flying around like ivory-billed woodpeckers.

Invisibility may be one of the greatest challenges women face. One of the great flaws in the writing of U.S. history has been the omission of the role or presence of women from the written record-women are invisible. Fortunately, three women authors (i.e., Willa Cather (1873-1947), Bess Streeter Aldrich (1881-1954) and Mari Sandoz (1896-1966)) of N...

This is a new section of the Journal of Women in Educational Leadership. The purpose of this column is to encourage writers to write and to offer suggestions about writing. Mary Poppin's "Well begun is half done" should be the mantra of the writer!

Perhaps those who write about women leaders should frame their works by referring to First Women. Certainly much of the writing about women and their leadership is groundbreaking. We are at the beginning stages of writing about women in leadership and women who are "firsts" in many of their accomplishments. The manuscripts in this issue of the Jour...

We note the passing of Shirley Chisholm (1924-2005), a 1993 inductee to the National Women's Hall of Fame.

This qualitative study explored the meanings of chat room conversations through observations of teenagers using the Internet. Adolescent girls were a focus because of their shaky sense of self. Participants in ten chat rooms included 534 individuals. Six themes, emerging from analyzing 2526 utterances [descriptive statements], included (a) communic...

Two new features are introduced in this issue of the Journal of Women in Educational Leadership. We welcome a feature that will be known as Women in History. Sandy Gaspar provides the first entry for this section of the journal. We also introduce Harriet Gould's essay in the section of the journal that will be called Voices of Women in the Field.

May 17, 2004 marked the 50th anniversary of the Brown v. Board of Education decision. Linda Brown (1943- ), a Topeka, Kansas third grader, is the symbol of "bringing down segregation" in U.S. schools. Rosa Parks (1913- ), "the mother of the Civil Rights Movement," refused to give up her seat on a Montgomery, Alabama bus on December 1, 1955. Coretta...

Writing that makes us think, writing that enriches our understanding of the past and present, that's what Cokie Roberts' book, We Are Our Mothers' Daughters provides, and that, too, is what the authors of this issue of the Journal of Women in Educational Leadership provide. Roberts' background as a news analyst covering politics, Congress and publi...

The manuscripts in this issue of The Journal of Women in Educational Leadership reflect the "first" phenomena. The issue of being a "first" is not limited to women in educational leadership roles.

The authority for public education in the United States does not stem from the Constitution, but rather is a "reserved" power remaining with the states. It originates from the Tenth Amendment, which reserves to the states those powers neither expressly given to the national govennnent nor denied to the state governments. However, most states have n...

One hundred seventy-six teachers employed in prekindergarten programs in Nebraska's public schools were surveyed regarding their perceptions of the administrative supports and challenges associated with their programs. Both early childhood and early childhood special education teachers participated. Overall findings suggest that most administrators...

The Journal of Women in Educational Leadership is an early mark in the 21 st century timeline and lengthens the chronological chart of women in history. In this issue, Mertz' longitudinal study of scholarship about women is extended, and Byrd-Blake offers perceptions of African American, Hispanic and white females concerning the strategies that enh...

This study examined faculty formative use of end of semester student rating of instruction (SRI) feedback. Over 600 faculty from three universities responded to a mailed survey. The majority of faculty reported using SRI feedback on a regular basis. Formative use of the SRI feedback was found to relate to faculty perceptions and values. The use of...

We, like Hepburn, are fortunate to be educated-since education opens doors for women. The manuscripts in this issue, all attest to the significance of education in women's lives-education as opportunity.

As we prepare this issue for publication, the news of war with Iraq is dominant. A story aired by National Public Radio (NPR) focused on women in the war and noted that one in every seven members of the military personnel serving in Iraq is a woman (Morning Edition, April 2, 2003). Women in the War is a special segment of NBC's Today Show. Their re...

The education and training activities of the Manufacturing Technologies Association (MTA) in the UK are presented. The activities are split into two distinct sections such as membership activities and awareness raising activities. The Education and Training department has organized a series of workshops, running throughout February and March 2003,...

We are very excited about the possibilities inherent in this new journal. The publishers who identified the need for the journal and who are sponsoring this showcase of scholarship on women in educational leadership deserve acknowledgement for their enterprise. The support we have received from our professional colleagues in many disciplines has be...

This study examined teaching assistants' perceptions of various instructional issues and explored whether their perceptions were affected by nationality, gender, and academic discipline. The study generated significant, positive results. Logistic regression with dummy coding revealed significant predictors of teaching assistants' instructional role...

For many graduate teaching assistants, the task of planning, organizing, motivating, and controlling classroom environments can be overwhelming. Empirical research pertaining to major classroom management problems experienced by TAs is scarce. This article is a report of a survey study regarding TA classroom management at a large, land-grant Resear...

Survey of 24 midwestern school attorneys, 31 midwestern school administrators, and 22 law professors identified the most important school law cases in 10 categories: students' rights, due process, search and seizure, school attendance, rights of the handicapped, school curriculum, church and state, school desegregation, school finance, and teachers...

Preparing for the job search, acquiring administrative skills, being part of a network, being in the "right place at the right time," and being the most qualified for a position are all pathways to administrative positions. Throughout the United States, the majority of students enrolled in educational administration preparation programs are women....

In 1972 Title IX, the vaccine against gender inequity, was unveiled. Title IX is a federal law making sex discrimination in schools illegal. Under Title IX, sex bias is outlawed in school athletics, career counseling, medical services, financial aid, admission practices, and the treatment of students. In 1974, Congress passed the Women's Educationa...

Research in leadership that focuses on gender and ethnicity issues provides us with little practical information for women, The few studies that do exist point to gender and race discrimination (Doughty, 1980; Marcias, ]994; Gorena, 1996), Researchers must move beyond the documentation of negative past and present conditions for women and minoritie...

The authority for public education in the United States does not stem from the Constitution, but rather is a "reserved" power remaining with the states. It originates from the Tenth Amendment, which reserves to the states those powers neither expressly given the national government nor denied to the state governments. However, most states have not...

In studies of the critical incidents that cause superintendent turnover (Grady and Bryant, 1991a; Grady and Bryant, 1991b; Grady and Bryant, 1991c), we became aware of the "early leaver" phenomenon in the profession. This phenomenon has caused us to question early leavers about their incentives for staying in or leaving the superintendency. The dis...

Compulsory education is a deep taproot in the history of our country and is at the heart of our educational system. Since Thomas Jefferson's presentation of the "Bill for the General Diffusion of Knowledge" in 1775, we have made compulsory education a central focus of our society. Initially, Jefferson's proposal called for mandatory education for a...

Expectations of principal participation in the budgeting process at the site level vary among principals and between principals and superintendents. If site-based budgeting is to be effective, district and school leaders should have similar expectations for the principal's role. We compared responses from superintendents and principals about the le...

The majority of students enrolled in graduate programs in educational administration are women. However, few of these students aspire to be superintendents. This study was undertaken to identify the sources of job satisfaction, the benefits of the job, the sources of self-fulfillment, and the personal strengths that women bring to the superintenden...

The literature concerning the superintendency is based on the experiences of men. This paper presents findings of the two studies that examined women superintendents. The first, a pilot study, sought to determine whether women superintendents used leadership qualities that fit a new paradigm for leadership. It also sought to determine if difference...

This paper presents findings of a study that examined the leadership practices of women superintendents to determine if their practices fit a new paradigm of administrative leadership. Data collection included: (1) telephone interviews with 30 rural and 21 urban female superintendents across the United States, and (2) completion of the Leadership P...

One part of the literature concerning women in educational administration that is frequently overlooked is the dissertation research. The purpose of this study is to examine the dissertation research about women in K-12 educational administration. The study profiles the dissertations by purpose, subjects, and findings of the research. Dissertation...

This article is a report of one effort to directly influence state education policy discussions through a coordinated plan. The report is presented as a case study. The case study includes a description of the development, implementation, and outcomes of a state legislative relations plan. Recommendations to others seeking to influence education po...

This paper reports on the leadership qualities of rural and urban women superintendents. Telephone interviews with 51 randomly selected female superintendents in 29 states examined perceived sources of job satisfaction, the benefits accrued on the job, sense of self-fulfillment in the workplace, and personal strengths. The most frequent responses i...

Resources are available means of supply or support that assist in accomplishing goals and meeting needs. Caldwell and Spinks (1986) define resources as culture and knowledge; however, most experts agree with Guthrie, Garms, and Pierce (1988), who define resources as "time, personnel, and materials ... as well as money" (p. 216). Thomas (1980) sugge...

Typologies of leadership style are emerging from naturalistic studies conducted by researchers at school sites. Through extensive observation and interviews with members of schools, researchers have accomplished a specific description of the values and behavioral attributes of leaders. For example, Bennis and Nanus (1985), Blumberg and Greenfield (...

According to a recent survey of Nebraska school board presidents, superintendencies most often fail because of poor people skills, failure to communicate, questionable ethics, and skirmishes over staffing. Fully 28 out of 75 incidents cited concerned problems with superintendents who were intimidating, reluctant to share information, publicly argum...

A survey of 80 Nebraska superintendents found that "critical incidents" involving these superintendents and board members can irreparably damage professional relationships and lead to dismissals. Of the 12 categories of incidents, those related to board members' children, relatives, and friends formed the largest category, with role confusion a clo...

Interviews with educators and community members in a very small rural Nebraska school district suggested causes for the district's exceptionally high superintendent turnover rate: low salary and status, lack of challenge, use of the position as a stepping stone, declining economy and population, community transition, and the superintendent's "outsi...

This study explores conflict between school superintendents and board members as perceived by superintendents. A critical incident methodology as elaborated by Flanagan was used to isolate and examine conflict. Common types of conflict include problems with family and friends, personal agendas, hiring and firing problems, and role uncertainty. Find...

The purpose of this study was to identify what school board presidents perceived to be critical incidents with their superintendents. Eighty-seven percent (87%) of school board presidents in Nebraska responded. Of these 239 superintendents, 68 (28%) experienceda critical incident and 60 (88%) agreed to discuss the incidents. Incidents were grouped...

Administrators, confronted by complex tasks, economic restrictions, and community concerns, need clear visions to guide their schools and staffs toward effective learn ing. How can they clarify and develop vision?

Examines 3 stabilizing principles of small town organization that are intertwined with the survival of local schools: (1) centripetalism (inwardly focused community involvement); (2) inclusiveness of local associations and activities; and (3) distinctive identity. Discusses the effects of state pro-consolidation policies on rural economic developme...

When Nebraska's 310 superintendents were asked to discuss critical incidents experienced with a school board or board member, they noted 151 incidents involving family and friends, board member's roles, who's elected to the board, failure to support the superintendent, the board itself, athletic coaches, individual board members, employee problems,...

This paper examines the degree of superintendent turnover in Nebraska, a state dominated by rural school districts. It also lists the causes of turnover as reported by short-term superintendents. This study finds that turnover is higher in the subject rural districts than the national average. Superintendents report that they leave these rural posi...