Hirsch, M: Women in Educational Leadership

Women in educational leadership embody a paradoxical reality: they must balance the formal power of school administration with the inclusivity, responsiveness, and compassion necessary to nurture a community of care. This negotiation between agency and communion, first articulated by Bakan (1966), contains many challenges for women in positions of educational leadership. How do women in educational administration retain the mantle of leadership and legitimacy without compromising their commitment to care and community? This research examines how four women in positions of educational leadership navigate the terrain of agency and communion. Description, analysis, and interpretation of the lived experience of these educational leaders provide a window into their lives as educational administrators. This analysis lends shape and texture to the realities of female educational leadership and offers a new lens for understanding the relational practices of school leaders. School administrators, teachers, researchers, and others who care deeply about schools may find this book valuable in refining their thinking about educational leadership.