School leadership at the intersection of gender
A partnership research project, funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, and composed of the University of Alberta (UofA), the Alberta Teachers' Association (ATA) and the College of Alberta School Superintendents (CASS).
It aims to deepen understanding of the intersections of gender in school leadership by reaching out to school leaders in both English and French to share the experiences of a group seeking equity.
Project Directors
Dr. Samira ElAtia
Dr. ElAtia holds a doctorate from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Dr. ElAtia specializes in the assessment of both competency and language with a research focus on equity in assessment, particularly in bilingual contexts.
Dr. ElAtia has served as an expert on panels for several international testing agencies such as Educational Testing Services located in the United States of America, Pearson Education in the United Kingdom, and in France for the International Baccalaureate Organization, the Paris Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and the Centre International d'Etudes Pédagogiques of the Ministry of Education.
Dr. Elissa Corsi
Dr. Corsi is an associate professor at Campus Saint-Jean, University of Alberta with a specialization in leadership and school administration.
Prior to joining the ATA, Dr. Corsi has worked as a teacher and administrator in Alberta schools, in both English and French Immersion programs.
Dr. Corsi's research interests include multilingualism, educational leadership, and specificially women in educational leadership.
The research team
Leticia Nadler Gomez
Responsible for the literature review and website
Jennifer Williams
Survey Creation and Review
Komla Essiomle
Data Collection and Analysis
Chirag Daryani
Research Assistant - Data Acquisition
Maryem Derrous
Data Management Plan
Lee Ann
Research Assistant
Wagnon Fanda Nina Soro
Research Assistant
Taryne Mcmullen
Research Assistant
Our Research
Purpose
This research partnership is funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, and is comprised of the University of Alberta (UofA), the Alberta Teachers' Association (ATA) and the College of Alberta School Superintendents (CASS). It aims to deepen understanding of the intersections of gender in school leadership by reaching out to school leaders in both English and French to share the experiences of a group seeking equity.
Objectives
The primary objective of this research is to examine the effect of external factors, such as family leaves, on the career progression of teachers in Alberta.
The secondary objectives of the study are as follows:
(a) Design a baseline database of women’s participation in school leadership
(b) Examine through the lens of intersectionality, the lived experiences of women in school leadership
(c) Explore the effects of different family leaves on the career progression of women
Our Reseach Purpose
Conduct a systematic collection of missing data that will fill in the information gap regarding the profile of school leaders in Alberta
Generate empirical data and support policy change or improvement regarding the effect of gender in educational leadership.
Publications
ElAtia, S., Gomez, L. N., & Corsi, E. (2022). If teaching is a female dominated profession, why are so few leading the profession?. Journal of Research on Leadership Education, 19427751221137926.
Conference Presentations
Chicago, USA, April 2023: American Educational Research Association (AERA), at Roundtable Session titled, “Women at Work: Troubling the Water in Education and Academia”. Submission: If The Teaching Profession Is Highly Feminized, Why Are So Few Women At The Top?
Toronto, Canada, June 2023: The Canadian Society for the Study of Education (CSSE) Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences. Submission: Women’s Career Progression in School Leadership: A State of Play in Alberta
Victoria, Canada, July 2023: World Federation of Associations for Teacher Education (WFATE) Seventh Biennal Conference. Submission: Educational Leadership and Administration at the Intersections of Gender.
