Most published research on the superintendency has failed to examine the voices of female superintendents. Today, white males make up approximately 85% of superintendents, rendering female responses to the superintendency almost nonexistent. Women Leading School Systems, commissioned by the American Association of School Administrators (AASA), provides a historical overview of women in top leadership positions. This study examines what drives some female educators to accept the challenge of becoming a superintendent and what drives others to remain in middle management. The authors also profile a number of women who spend their lives at the top of the school system. This comprehensive book is the only national study entirely dedicated to women's leadership.