Preparing and Supporting Diverse, Culturally Competent Leaders: Practice and Policy Considerations

In the fall of 2004, the Institute for Educational Leadership (IEL) convened members of the School Leadership Learning Community (SLLC) and invited guests for three invitational, issue-focused meetings. The meetings were supported by the Laboratory for Student Success (LSS), the mid-Atlantic regional educational laboratory at Temple University, through a contract with the U.S. Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences (IES). This report provides field-based insights collected from people working in, and familiar with, leadership-development programs for school leaders in urban, suburban, and rural districts across the country. It shares and distills authentic conversations, anchored by participants' direct experiences. These conversations acknowledged challenges, but focused more intently on promising practices and policy and program strategies that make a difference in programs and initiatives for preparing school leaders, who are themselves diverse and have the skills, knowledge, and attributes necessary for cultural competence. Participants in the seminar engaged in candid conversations about what America's ever changing demographics mean for current and future school leaders. They considered the knowledge, skills, and attributes that culturally competent leaders need; discussed where and how these are best developed; and made recommendations for practice and policy. In short, they talked about numerous competencies and strategies required of school leaders whose visions of education encompass America's diverse population, and they talked about how to prepare and support such leaders. In addition, five themes emerged from the conversations and are offered as important factors for consideration by policymakers and practitioners.