Why a Diverse Leadership Pipeline Matters: The Empirical Evidence

Abstract

This overview of the research revealed that diversity in the pipeline leading to the principalship is lacking and critical. The article first provided a synopsis of educator demographics, illustrating clear disparity in principal representation by race/ethnicity and sex/gender. Subsequent review of relevant empirical research demonstrated clear benefits of having a diverse principal workforce, especially for students and teachers of color. Further examination showed that educators of color and females/women, particularly those of color, face biases, and barriers in advancing to the principalship. These biases and barriers have negative implications for individuals in the principal pipeline and educational quality overall.