Mode of Program Participation
Academic Scholarship
Participation Type
Paper
Presentation #1 Title
Rural Superintendents as Political Agents: Grassroots Advocacy in Appalachian Counties of Southeast Ohio
Presentation #1 Abstract or Summary
With shifts in power from state to federal under No Child Left Behind Act, and back to the state under Every Student Succeeds Act, the political roles assumed by school superintendents have become increasingly critical to the present and future state of education. In the past, it has been obvious that superintendents and other district stakeholders did not believe that educational leaders, including superintendents, should participate in a political role, especially at the state level (Netusil & Dunkin, 1974). One participant in this study acknowledged this position, stating, “I have to tell you back in 1987 when I started as an educator I had no idea that I would testify before the house or the senate in the State of Ohio. Or anything. I didn’t realize that education was political.”
The purpose of this study was to examine the views of rural superintendents in Appalachian Ohio regarding the roles they assume as advocates for students and the ways they provide local education with a voice at the state and federal levels. The objective was to gain an understanding of the superintendent’s role in school politics, and subsequently create a more in depth image of his or her experience in activism at the local and state level for meaningful school change. As such, the researchers sought to determine what characteristics they valued most in a political school leader. The research purpose was to identify and prioritize the factors involved in school leadership in the person of the superintendent as a political agent.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #1
Charles L. Lowery is a former school principal and currently an Assistant Professor in Educational Studies at Ohio University where he teaches in the Educational Administration program. His research interests include educational leadership for social justice and democracy in Appalachia, perceptions and challenges of marginalized individuals in high-need educational settings, and emerging metaphors of school leadership for the 21st century.
Michael Hess is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Educational Studies at Ohio University a native of Highland County Virginia his research interests includes rural Appalachia and education, the intersections of social class and educational success, critical educational theory and democratic educational leadership. He has worked at both Berea College and Ohio University.
Chetanath Gautam received his doctorate in educational leadership from Stephen F. Austin State University. He is currently an Assistant Professor in Educational Leadership at Delaware State University. His research interests include global educational studies, educational leadership for social justice and democracy in high-need schools, and educational experiences of international students as well as diverse groups of learners.
Chance D Mays serves as the High School Principal at Mount Enterprise High School in East Texas. He received the doctorate from Stephen F. Austin State University. His main research interests include educational philosophy, including the role of democracy in education and society, with an emphasis on the role experiences play in education, as well as moral philosophy, and virtue ethics and their relevance to practicing educational leaders in modern society.
Rural Superintendents as Political Agents: Grassroots Advocacy in Appalachian Counties of Southeast Ohio
With shifts in power from state to federal under No Child Left Behind Act, and back to the state under Every Student Succeeds Act, the political roles assumed by school superintendents have become increasingly critical to the present and future state of education. In the past, it has been obvious that superintendents and other district stakeholders did not believe that educational leaders, including superintendents, should participate in a political role, especially at the state level (Netusil & Dunkin, 1974). One participant in this study acknowledged this position, stating, “I have to tell you back in 1987 when I started as an educator I had no idea that I would testify before the house or the senate in the State of Ohio. Or anything. I didn’t realize that education was political.”
The purpose of this study was to examine the views of rural superintendents in Appalachian Ohio regarding the roles they assume as advocates for students and the ways they provide local education with a voice at the state and federal levels. The objective was to gain an understanding of the superintendent’s role in school politics, and subsequently create a more in depth image of his or her experience in activism at the local and state level for meaningful school change. As such, the researchers sought to determine what characteristics they valued most in a political school leader. The research purpose was to identify and prioritize the factors involved in school leadership in the person of the superintendent as a political agent.
