Few African-American school superintendents in California
CREDIT: LA SCHOOL REPORT
LA Unified Superintendent Michelle King
When Michelle King was appointed to head the Los Angeles Unified School District last week, she became the most prominent African-American school superintendent in the state and the nation.
But her ascent to the top post is hardly typical of California districts. She is one of only a small number of African-American superintendents in California, and of an even smaller number of African-American women to head a school district in the state.
There are an estimated 25 African-American superintendents in California – or 2.5 percent of the superintendents in the 947 elementary, high school and K-12 districts in the state, according to a list compiled by the California Association of African-American Superintendents and Administrators, or CAAASA. In addition, two other African-Americans are elected county superintendents of education, and another is an appointed county superintendent.
By comparison, of the state’s 6.2 million public school students, 6.1 percent are African-American.
African-American women are especially underrepresented. Women make up more than two-thirds of African-American teachers in the state but only 20 percent of African-American superintendents.
To address the issue, CAAASA has established a “California African American Leadership Academy,” which is holding a series of workshops to provide Few African-American school superintendents in California | EdSource: