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Components of certification programs in School Administration in five state colleges in Massachusetts that facilitate the professional development of female administrators
Abstract
This study was designed to gather information about administrative training provided through certification programs in School Administration in five state colleges in Massachusetts. The colleges selected for this study were Bridgewater State College, Fitchburg State College, Framingham State College, Westfield State College and Salem State College. The goal was to determine what efforts have been made to facilitate the professional development of women who wish to access positions of leadership in education. The research was undertaken to answer the question, "What is the content or process in the certification programs in the five state colleges studied which specifically addresses the problem of underrepresentation of women in positions of leadership in public schools?" The research was designed to look for programmatic structures that facilitate the professional development of women administrators. Two kinds of questionnaires were developed to gather data for this study. The first questionnaire was designed to gather information from females who had completed certification requirements necessary to become a school administrator through a program at one of the five selected state colleges in Massachusetts within the five year period from 1987-1991. The second questionnaire was designed to gather information from Deans, other administrators assigned administrative responsibilities in the programs and faculty who teach in the programs at the five colleges chosen for the study. The findings indicate that the women who responded to the questionnaire felt that while they do have some special needs as learners and potential leaders, that these needs were not addressed through their graduate or certification programs. There was no content or process in their experience in their programs that addressed the issue of underrepresentation of women in positions of leadership in public education. There were no aspects of their programs that addressed the special needs of women who are preparing to become school administrators. The responses of the faculty either paralleled or supported the responses of the graduates. They also felt that women do have special needs as learners and as potential educational leaders but indicated that their courses and graduate programs do not address these needs in any substantive manner.
Subject Area
Educational administration|Womens studies|Higher education
Recommended Citation
Connolly-Costello, Joan, "Components of certification programs in School Administration in five state colleges in Massachusetts that facilitate the professional development of female administrators" (1993). Doctoral Dissertations Available from Proquest. AAI9316634.
https://scholarworks.umass.edu/dissertations/AAI9316634