The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the perceived barriers faced by 15 Hispanic women who were current or aspiring educational leaders or employed in K-12 public education. This research highlights the underrepresentation of Hispanic female leaders in American K-12 schools compared to that of Hispanic students, the fastest growing minority population in the United States. The study incorporates the literature supporting the importance of diversity among women leaders in education. The pertinent literature identifies historical barriers to diverse representation among educational leaders and emphasizes the value of mentoring for Hispanic female leaders in terms of strengthening representation at the higher tiers of educational leadership positions. This study inquired into the lived experiences of female Hispanic educational leaders with a focus on how culture, language, and gender affected their ascent into educational leadership and teaching positions. The findings of this study suggest that perceived barriers were directly and indirectly attributed to being Hispanic, while institutional, gender, and cultural factors hindered as well as enhanced career aspirations.
","abstract_html":"<p>The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the perceived barriers faced by 15 Hispanic women who were current or aspiring educational leaders or employed in K-12 public education. This research highlights the underrepresentation of Hispanic female leaders in American K-12 schools compared to that of Hispanic students, the fastest growing minority population in the United States. The study incorporates the literature supporting the importance of diversity among women leaders in education. The pertinent literature identifies historical barriers to diverse representation among educational leaders and emphasizes the value of mentoring for Hispanic female leaders in terms of strengthening representation at the higher tiers of educational leadership positions. This study inquired into the lived experiences of female Hispanic educational leaders with a focus on how culture, language, and gender affected their ascent into educational leadership and teaching positions. The findings of this study suggest that perceived barriers were directly and indirectly attributed to being Hispanic, while institutional, gender, and cultural factors hindered as well as enhanced career aspirations.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Schmitz, Angela J"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Ed.D. Doctor of Education","degree_level":"Dissertation - Public Access","degree_discipline":"Educational Leadership","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Dr. Carla Sparks","Kerri Becker"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2020,"date_issued":"2020-12-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2020-12-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T03:21:05Z","subjects":["Hispanic Female Educators","Barriers","Underrepresentation","Hispanic Female Educational Leaders","Perceived Barriers","Educational Leadership"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://digitalcommons.nl.edu/diss/549","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Dr. Carla Sparks","Kerri Becker"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Schmitz, Angela J"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2021-02-23T08:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Educational Leadership"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Dissertation - Public Access"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Ed.D. Doctor of Education"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Hispanic Female Educators","Barriers","Underrepresentation","Hispanic Female Educational Leaders","Perceived Barriers","Educational Leadership"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://digitalcommons.nl.edu/diss/549"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the perceived barriers faced by 15 Hispanic women who were current or aspiring educational leaders or employed in K-12 public education. This research highlights the underrepresentation of Hispanic female leaders in American K-12 schools compared to that of Hispanic students, the fastest growing minority population in the United States. The study incorporates the literature supporting the importance of diversity among women leaders in education. The pertinent literature identifies historical barriers to diverse representation among educational leaders and emphasizes the value of mentoring for Hispanic female leaders in terms of strengthening representation at the higher tiers of educational leadership positions. This study inquired into the lived experiences of female Hispanic educational leaders with a focus on how culture, language, and gender affected their ascent into educational leadership and teaching positions. The findings of this study suggest that perceived barriers were directly and indirectly attributed to being Hispanic, while institutional, gender, and cultural factors hindered as well as enhanced career aspirations.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["The Underrepresentation of Hispanic Female Educational Leaders and Their Perceived Barriers"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Dr. Carla Sparks","Kerri Becker"],"dc:creator":["Schmitz, Angela J"],"dc:date.available":["2021-02-23T08:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the perceived barriers faced by 15 Hispanic women who were current or aspiring educational leaders or employed in K-12 public education. This research highlights the underrepresentation of Hispanic female leaders in American K-12 schools compared to that of Hispanic students, the fastest growing minority population in the United States. The study incorporates the literature supporting the importance of diversity among women leaders in education. The pertinent literature identifies historical barriers to diverse representation among educational leaders and emphasizes the value of mentoring for Hispanic female leaders in terms of strengthening representation at the higher tiers of educational leadership positions. This study inquired into the lived experiences of female Hispanic educational leaders with a focus on how culture, language, and gender affected their ascent into educational leadership and teaching positions. The findings of this study suggest that perceived barriers were directly and indirectly attributed to being Hispanic, while institutional, gender, and cultural factors hindered as well as enhanced career aspirations.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://digitalcommons.nl.edu/diss/549"],"dc:subject":["Hispanic Female Educators","Barriers","Underrepresentation","Hispanic Female Educational Leaders","Perceived Barriers","Educational Leadership"],"dc:title":["The Underrepresentation of Hispanic Female Educational Leaders and Their Perceived Barriers"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Educational Leadership"],"thesis:degree_level":["Dissertation - Public Access"],"thesis:degree_name":["Ed.D. Doctor of Education"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T03:21:05Z"}