What Are the Odds Your Superintendent Is Named Michael, John or David?

In the 2022-23 school year, men with one of 15 first names represented the same share of superintendents in the United States as all women. (Source: American Superintendency infographic)

EdSurge Senior Reporter Emily Tate Sullivan recently released an article titled "What Are the Odds Your Superintendent Is Named Michael, John or David?" The article discusses the work of Rachel S. White, an assistant professor at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville.

White has recently released an infographic as a teaser for the full publication of her findings, which will appear in the journal Educational Researcher. The image for this post is just a small portion. Click here to see the full infographic.

White's research is focusing on equal representation in school leadership, however, it is important to acknowledge that there is also a lack of equal representation in the classroom. Tate Sullivan reminds us of this when she quotes figures from an NCES Survey that show that women make up nearly 80 percent of the teacher workforce.

White's research is trickling out not only during Women's History Month, but also during a time when schools across the country are struggling to attract and retain teachers. Perhaps her findings will provide us with another approach to building up our talent pools and leadership pipelines.