Policy, Structural, and School Board Influences on Superintendent Supply and Demand

Abstract

This article provides an overview of the macrolevel structures, policies, and institutionalized practices that influence mismatches between educational administrator supply and demand. It also explores the micropolitics of local school board search and selection practices that can affect the access of women and people of color to the superintendency. Consideration of both these macro- and microlevel dynamics provides an alternative perspective on what have been reported as shortages of qualified candidates for current and anticipated superintendent vacancies.