when too many people of color advance to that level, questions surface regarding the shift in leadership.” Darline Robles says, “Some people have


underestimated me, and had low expec- tations about my work. That more than anything has annoyed me. When I have accomplished something, some seem to be surprised, as if I, a woman, a Latina, could not do it.” Randy Lindsey asks the three authors to


answer a complex question, “How do women become identified with being in charge, without being identified with negative or unfeminine ways?” Ott answers: “Women must not hesitate to show their strength in leadership roles. Women should know their personal compass well so that they are con- sistent in their focus and clearly articulate their passion for creating successful educa- tional environments for all children. Others look for consistency in the behavior of their leaders, and not being clear about what you stand for is one of the reasons that others will not follow. It is better to have disagreement with your priorities than to be someone who wavers in his/her beliefs.” Robles answers the question directly,


“You just lead. I don’t think you can worry about how you will be identified or else you will be stuck and not move forward. People will always have an opinion about you – cor- rect or not. As a leader, you must be who you are, be authentic. It is interesting how lan- guage will be used differently to describe a woman’s commitment to her work. Often I would hear others describe it as being emo- tional rather than passionate about making sure students who have been underserved for too long are provided with strong teachers to ensure they have access to quality education. I always welcomed the opportunity to pro- vide alternative language.” Franco said, “Obviously, women need to


learn to play with the ‘big boys,’ but I don’t interpret this as ‘acting’ like them. That being said, I believe that there are distinctive ways that both men and women in leadership roles portray themselves: conducting busi- ness in a conservative and serious manner, being viewed as a business leader, in charge of a multi-million dollar operation, dressing appropriately for the position.”


Franco continued, “The issue of negative


perceptions of women being in charge will be there as long as there is a dearth of women in top CEO positions. This has been a hard wheel to turn, and it continues to move very slowly. The logical interpretation is that women are not viewed as being able to run a major business; consequently, men continue to be named to those positions.”


Improving student achievement The fact that we shared the experience of


being women in leadership roles – Latinas that encountered stereotyping and biases re- garding our professional potential – brought


Robles led the Montebello Unified School


District before accepting the position of su- perintendent of the Salt Lake City School system, where she served for eight years. In 2002, she was appointed as the first Latina to lead the Los Angeles County Office of Education. Robles retired in August 2010 to develop a master’s program in school ad- ministration at the University of Southern California. As a faculty member, Robles is positioned to inf luence the quality and content of preparation programs for educa- tional leaders at USC and universities across the nation. She was recently appointed to the President’s Advisory Commission on Edu- cational Excellence for Hispanics. The conversations modeled and encour-


the three of us closer as friends and profes- sional colleagues. We all have successfully improved student achievement and provided important leadership in both mid-sized and large districts. Franco’s career as superintendent of


Whittier City Schools for 12 years, retir- ing in 2008 to immediately assume the role of interim superintendent for Woodland Joint Unified, prepared her to serve as the first state trustee, with full authority over the school board, assigned to a district for academic performance issues. She is starting her second year in the Alisal School District with the goal of leading the district back to independence from state oversight. Ott served seven successful years as su-


perintendent in the Little Lake City School District, leaving in 2000 to work beside Roy Romer in stabilizing and leading the Los Angeles Unified School District as the senior deputy superintendent. In 2005, she was ap- pointed to lead the Rowland Unified School District. The district has initiated major transformational work around teaching and learning and continues to be recognized as a cutting-edge district.


aged in this book take courage and the abil- ity to open one’s thinking to a new awareness level related to cultural proficiency. We have the opportunity to have courageous conver- sations that will break down barriers to suc- cess for historically underserved students, closing gaps and providing educational ac- cess. But we must first be willing to identify priorities and create conditions in schools and districts that remove the inequities that are microcosms of inequities in society.


All boats rising Our book is designed to help you begin


important conversations about educational equity. We invite you to use our stories and the questions we pose to lead for equity so that opportunities and achievements in- crease for all students, especially for stu- dents who are underserved by present and past policies and practices. As asserted by Thurgood Marshall, the improvement of op- portunities for those least well served in our society results in “all boats rising.” n


Carmella S. Franco is a state trustee appointed to oversee the Alisal UESD. Maria G. Ott is superin- tendent of Rowland USD. Darline P. Robles is a


faculty member at University of Southern Califor- nia, where she developed the master’s program


in school leadership. She is also a member of the President’s Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for Hispanics. They are authors of the new book, “Leadership for Equity: A Culturally Proficient Society Begins in School.”


November/December 2011 15


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