Female Assistant Superintendents in Middle Space Leadership: A Multiple Case Study

Abstract

This qualitative study explored the experiences of female assistant superintendents in obtaining and sustaining their positions as middle space leaders. There is little research on female assistant superintendents or middle management in school districts thus this study will raise awareness of the experiences of female assistant superintendents in obtaining and sustaining their positions as middle space leaders. The central research question was how do female assistant superintendents in school districts describe their experiences obtaining and sustaining their positions as middle space leaders? The researcher utilized the multiple case study approach to describe the essence of female assistant superintendent experiences as middle space leaders in urban, suburban, and rural local education agencies in Alabama. Female assistant superintendents were interviewed in their district central offices to allow the researcher to capture thick, rich description to understand their experiences. The researcher analyzed novice and veteran female assistant superintendents’ experiences within and across both cases. Both novice and veteran female assistant superintendents shared the challenges obtaining and sustaining the assistant superintendency, facilitating factors that assisted them in obtaining and sustaining their positions, a description of how they described their experiences as middle space leaders in sustaining their positions, and the differences in the experiences of novice and veteran female assistant superintendents. The findings from this study contributed to the development of a framework of the concept of middle space leadership for females in assistant superintendent positions. This study had limitations. Further research is recommended.