Diane Brown Davis Doctoral Dissertation

Diane B. Davis Oral Examination and Defense of Dissertation; College of Education Room 345; November 18, 2009 9:00 am; Abstract: The purpose of this study was to explore and understand leadership evidenced by a female one-room school teacher and later principal in Jerome Public School District #33 during its formative years; and to compare and contrast the emergent leadership processes noted with Helgesen’s Web of Inclusion (1995). Estelle Mauldin Ricketts was a one-room school teacher and eventually principal of a suburban school during the inception of the Jerome School District, as such, she emerged as the leader case for this study. Data were obtained through semi-structured interviews of those who knew Estelle. Gene Reichardt, Estelle's daughter, was the first interviewee and subsequent interviews were obtained via snowball sampling—recommendations of previous interviewees. Based on the interview data, as well as a comprehensive review of related documents, relics, etc. Estelle was found to exhibit many of the leadership processes associated with Helgesen’s web-based leadership model, during a culture and timeframe that predated any of these processes being defined or delineated as associated with leadership styles, traits, or strategies. In particular, Estelle's leadership was evidenced and expressed through her collaborative, courageous, flexible, open, accessible relationships with students, colleagues, and community members. Her beliefs, as reflected by stories and her own statements, mirror the encompassing and global aspects of inclusion propounded by Helgesen (1995) as elemental to web-based leadership. Beyond the potential significance to teaching-related constituent groups (i.e., school boards, superintendents, principals, and teachers), these findings contribute to the growing body of context-specific, historically grounded literature and knowing specific to women’s ways of knowing, being, and leading (Belenky et al. 1986). As such, these findings and their “telling” add to our understanding and valuing of women’s experiences generally, and to those of a woman teacher-leader who steadfastly acted out her life outside the margins of the traditionally accepted roles and responsibilities associated with being female; during a time when women were generally consigned to the kitchen and the garden, not to teaching, and especially not to leadership.