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Articles

No. 13 (2003 Spring)

Struggling for Authentic Human Synergy and a Robust Democratic Culture: The Wellspring Community for Women in Educational Leadership

  • Catherine E. Hackney
  • Diane Runnestrand
DOI
https://doi.org/10.21423/awlj-v13.a168
Submitted
June 19, 2017
Published
2017-06-12

Abstract

In this paper we will introduce a community of women educational leaders, their struggles for personal and professional accountability, and their inquiry toward the development of leadership wisdom in a democratic culture. Such leadership wisdom is not the norm in today's educational organizations. Influenced by the work of researchers, educational leaders, and professors of educational administration, traditional leadership has been based on hierarchical thinking and prescriptive skills that have promoted the status quo (Davies & Foster, 1994; Maxcy, 1994). This paper tells the story of a group of women educational leaders who are supporting each other as they challenge tradition and explore the application of democratic leadership in educational settings. Their story is a result of the analysis of data collected over the first three years of the Wellspring Community's existence.