WOMEN MOVE INTO SCHOOL ADMINISTRATION

Women may dominate the teaching profession locally, but they are rare at the administrative level. But the times, they are a-changing.

Although women make up 81.4 percent of school teachers in Cape Girardeau, they represent only 15.8 percent of the principals and head administrators for the district. In Jackson public schools, females account for 78.1 percent of the teachers, but only 12.5 percent of all administrators.

But these numbers are on the rise. Cape Girardeau and Jackson each have two female principals in their schools, and administrators agree this shows a definite trend.

"There's no doubt there is an increase in the number of females who have gone into administration," said Randie Fidler, principal at Cape Girardeau Central High School. "I think first of all they never did before ever pursue the field. There wasn't that many applying or even having the certification to apply to be an administrator."

May Greene principal Dr. Barbara Kohlfield said women did pursue the field at one time. "Women are every bit as capable of assuming leadership and administrative roles as men," she said. "If you went way back, you'd see more women were in administration."

Rita Fisher is the principal at West Lane Elementary in Jackson. She said one reason women may have avoided the field in the past was because of their role as family nurturer. "If you have a family, it's more difficult with the number of meetings you have to attend," she said. "I believe the constraints of the family definitely played a part."

Rose Tallent, who is principal of Primary Annex and Gordonville Attendance Center in Jackson, also said traditional roles could have played a part in why women chose not to become administrators. A lot of women probably became teachers because it was seen as a nine-month job, which allowed them the opportunity to still stay home and help take care of their children, said Tallent. More male teachers probably went into administration because it was a 12-month job, she said, which required more of a time commitment.

Clippard school principal Stan Seiler said another reason could have been that administrators have a support network that may not have been accessible to women in the past.

"We as principals talk all the time, trying to get support and advice about how to handle certain situations," he said. "That network was there for principals that were men, but maybe not so strongly for principals that were women." Seiler said the same was probably also true for women in upper administration.

Fisher said as the number of female administrators continues to rise, the female perspective will definitely have an affect on some school issues.

"I think women tend to look at some issues differently," she said. "The perspective women will bring to the field could possibly make it better."

Kohlfield said she hopes women in education will start to support each other and use each other for inspiration.

"I would hope there are women interested in administration," she said, "and I would see it as a real compliment if they look at me or other female administrators and think they can do it, too."