184 CRITICAL THEORY AND LEADERSHIP PRACTICES
METHODOLOGY
The researcher’s purpose of this study was to investigate how superintendents ranked
order leadership standards from most to least important, focusing specifically on diversity
elements from national leadership standards (AASA, NCATE, ISLLC). The overarching
question that guided the study was: What did superintendents consider the most and least
important diversity elements within the national leadership standards for action and decision-
making? Respondents were also asked to estimate the percentage of racial minority children,
children living in poverty, and English Language Learners (ELLs) within their school districts
in five-year increments from 1995-2015 in order to determine the significance, if any, of
student population changes in schools across the nation. Respondents were also asked to
complete a Personal Heritage Survey based on Smith’s (1998) Cultural Knowledge Base
framework to determine whether or not , if any, difference in how respondents rank ordered
diversity elements within the national leadership standards according to personal background
information (gender, age, class, geographic location, school district type, religion, and race).
Participants
Superintendents nationwide (N=6700) were invited to participate. The sample (n = 1,087)
is comprised of 15.52% of superintendents who were members of the AASA. Demographic
data representing the sample are presented in Table 1.
Table 1. Respondents’ Demographic Data (N = 1,087).
Number of Percent
Respondents of Total
Gender
Female 273 25.1%
Male 814 74.8%
Race
Asian 3 .22%
Biracial 8 .76%
Black 18 1.63%
Hispanic 21 1.95%
Native American 6 .54%
Multiracial 3 .33%
White 1,022 94.04%
Other 6 .54%
Class
Lower 169 15.54%
Middle 866 79.65%
Upper 52 4.81%Instrumentation
This national leadership survey provided a framework for understanding the
superintendent’s perception of the most/least important diversity elements within the national
leadership standards. Superintendents completed the self-designed survey to identify the
most/least important diversity elements from eight summary statements representing the
AASA, ISLLC, NCATE national leadership standards and Smith’s (1998) 13 Knowledge