SALEM – A new report names hiring bias and retention as two primary reasons that Oregon lost more than half of its female superintendents last year. The study – “Just Not Ready For A Female: An Examination of the Inequities in Oregon’s Superintendency” – was produced by the Coalition of Oregon School Administrators, the Oregon Department of Education and the Oregon Commission for Women.

“Superintendent turnover in Oregon has been increasing at alarming rates,” says Krista Parent, COSA’s Director of Executive Leadership and Licensure and a member of the Oregon Commission for Women. “Pathways to the superintendency that are lined with barriers are eliminating talented leaders from the position, and that is detrimental to our kids.

"When 72% of teachers nationwide are women but less than 25% are superintendents – and even fewer are superintendents of color – there is a problem. The findings in this study suggest strategies for helping eliminate some of these challenges.”

To read a news article from the Oregon Capitol Chronicle about the report’s findings, click here.