Ed Tech Research
Diversity Lacking in K–12 Technology Leadership
Across all K–12 institutions in the United States, public and
private, 93 percent of technology leaders are white, and 72 percent
are male.
According to the latest K-12
IT Leadership Survey Report, released this week by the Consortium
for School Networking (CoSN) in association with the Ed-Fi
Alliance, Forecast5
and MDR, that’s in stark
contrast to the populations those leaders serve. Overall, the student
population is 49 percent white, 15 percent black and 26 percent
Hispanic. Just 1 percent of IT leaders in K–12 are black, and 2
percent are Hispanic.
“The lack of minorities in leadership positions is a pervasive
problem across all public and private institutions, including the
K-12 sector,” according to the report. “The ethnic and racial
diversity of IT Leaders continues to look very different from the
population they serve.”
The report also noted a widening gender gap among IT leaders. In 2016
and 2017, 36 percent of K–12 technology leaders were women. That
dropped to 30 percent in 2018 and slid further to 28 percent this
year.
Where do technology leaders come from?
-
42 percent of both male and female K–12 tech leaders come from an
education/instruction background;
-
42 percent of male and just 18 percent of female leaders come from a
tech background;
-
38 percent of female and just 12 percent of males come from a
business/management background.
The report’s authors noted: “The decline in female representation
in leadership positions may suggest that retiring IT Leaders are
being replaced from industry, where there are fewer women in
executive roles to pull from, or simply that more men are now
applying/being recruited for these positions. Historically, K-12 IT
leader talent was promoted from district instructional leadership,
which is predominately female.”
Other characteristics of K–12 technology leaders include:
-
About two-thirds (64 percent) have at least a master’s degree,
with 10 percent holding doctorates;
-
25 percent plan to retire within the next six years;
-
60 percent have been in their current position for six or more
years, with 21 percent at 11–20 years and 10 percent at 20 or more
years; and
-
Most (59 percent) report to the superintendent.
The results were released at CoSN’s
annual conference, taking place this week in Portland, OR. The
complete report is freely available at cosn.org.