A new study from the Utah Woman and Leadership Project at Utah State University examines the status and progress of women in leadership positions n the state’s public school districts. The Utah State group issued two previous reports in 2014 and 2017.
Here are some highlights from the report:
According to the American Superintendent 2020 Decennial Study, 26.7 percent of district superintendents across the country were women. Today in Utah, 12.2 percent (5 of 41) of superintendents are women, a number that remains unchanged since 2017.
Women make up 29 percent of all high school principals in Utah and 35.4 percent of high school assistant principals.
Women are 34.7 percent of junior high school principals and nearly half of all junior high school assistant principals.
For elementary schools, women are 58.4 percent of the principals and 71.4 percent of the assistant principals.
In urging more diversity, the authors of the report note that “research has shown that most people do not fully realize the value of having women in key leadership positions in educational institutions. Women in leadership offer more diverse pathways to better decision making, and women, in general, are more committed to inclusiveness and cooperation in the workplace. In addition, women’s presence in leadership positions provides female role models for staff and students, which research suggests may positively impact women’s leadership behaviors.”