Reflective Practice of a Hispanic Chief Financial Officer and Interim Superintendent in a Predominantly Hispanic South Texas School District

Reflective practice has been utilized in many fields. Education studies have recommended that reflexivity be used to enhance the practice of principals, teachers, and counselors. There has been little research in the area of reflective practice for superintendents and chief financial officers (CFOs) and the linking of Sch?n?s reflective practice with Mezirow?s transformative learning. Therefore, this study was aimed at examining my critical events and the use of reflective practice to improve professional development for superintendents and/or CFOs.

The study was a first-person account of my experiences in a predominantly Hispanic South Texas school district. My autoethnography allowed me to be the primary participant and researcher in the study, and I used three types of reflective practice (reflection-in-action, reflection-on-action, and reflection-for-action) to narrate the critical events during my district tenure. Data collection included conducting a series of semistructured interviews with my committee chair, reviewing artifacts such as video tapes and board reports, and reflections from my journal. I ensured trustworthiness through data triangulation, thick description, and reflective journaling.

My analysis included examining the data using Sch?n?s reflective practice and Mezirow?s precursors of transformative learning to identify disorienting dilemmas and examine my thinking, emotions, and reactions to the critical events and experiences. I identified five themes that were salient to my study: (a) disrespect, (b) ethical dilemmas, (c) politics, (d) bullying and oppression, and (e) change.

Three suggestions to the adult learning process that will aid educational strategies for superintendents and CFOs have been identified: (a) that a chief financial officer not consider being an interim superintendent because being in such a position might create political situations, (b) that a new reflective practice model be considered where reflection-for-action (RFA) is used as a planning tool knowing that we are always in the reflection-in-action (RIA) mode, and (c) that journaling and peer discussions be used as a way to reflect on experience. The autoethnography should be carefully examined for limitations and personal interpretations. I believe that my stories will contribute to the preparation and practice of superintendents and CFOs as well as future research, and my stories are discussed herein.