How ongoing superintendent turnover is fueling pay gaps in K-12 leadership

Women hold just 30% of the nation's superintendent positions even though 76% of teachers are women, a new analysis finds.

Superintendent turnover is accelerating, allowing gaps in gender equity and pay to persist in educational leadership, a new analysis has found. Two-thirds (62) of the 94 women who have left superintendent positions at the nation’s 500 largest school districts since the start of the pandemic were replaced by men, according to the latest Superintendent Research Project released by the ILO Group, a female-founded national education strategy and policy firm.

Half of the nation’s largest school districts—which serve about 12.5 million students—have experienced a disruption or change in leadership since the initial COVID outbreak in March 2020. Currently, women hold just 30% of the nation’s superintendent positions even though 76% of teachers are women.

“Despite clear evidence that women leaders are underrepresented in education—even when they are equally or better qualified than the men being appointed—the majority of women who leave superintendent positions are still being replaced by men,” ILO Group Cofounder and Managing Partner Julia Rafal-Baer said.


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“The imperative to close the gender gap isn’t simply about representation, it’s about giving students the kind of leadership that is needed to accelerate learning during a moment of grave educational crisis,” Rafal-Baer added.

The analysis also found that among the 500 largest school districts in the country:

  • 40 have changed leaders two times since March 2020.
  • 7 have changed leaders three or more times since March 2020.
  • 27 were led by an interim or acting superintendent as of Sept. 1, 2022.
  • Prior to and immediately after the start of the pandemic (Sept. 1, 2018 to Aug. 31, 2020), there were 155 changes across 141 districts.
  • During and following the pandemic (Sept. 1, 2020 to Sept. 1, 2022), there were 228 changes across 189 districts.

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Women are also less likely to be hired as superintendent when a school board chooses a new leader from outside the district. Women are more likely to get the job when they are serving as interim superintendent or in another internal position. ILO Group recommends that school boards:

  1. Prioritize gender equity in recruitment and selection.
  2. Be transparent by publicizing the qualifications, gender, race and ethnicity of applicants.
  3. Establish policies around work/life balance to help women (and all other district employees) take care of themselves and balance other commitments in their lives.
  4. Be financially fair—women superintendents earn roughly $20,000–$30,000 less than male leaders.
Matt Zalaznick
Matt Zalaznick
Matt Zalaznick is a life-long journalist. Prior to writing for District Administration he worked in daily news all over the country, from the NYC suburbs to the Rocky Mountains, Silicon Valley and the U.S. Virgin Islands. He's also in a band.

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