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Working Together to Improve Results for All Students
Leadership as described in this article is a practice, not a person. And the practice of leadership means organizing the roles, relationships, resources, and responsibilities of various groups of individuals with a stake in the outcome of producing well-educated, informed citizens and participants in the workforce. This kind of leadership development goes beyond traditional workshops, seminars, and conferences designed to build yet another group of individual superheroes. Along with fundamental skills in facilitation, consensus building, inquiry processes, and conflict resolution, stakeholder groups need opportunities to learn together in ways that build on their strengths, offset their weaknesses, and defuse cultural tensions.
In school communities that have made the effort to develop leaders with the capacity to participate constructively in cross-sector partnerships, the results can be remarkable. District administrators and policy-makers rely on a well-organized, articulate, well-informed, independent, and powerful community as an asset to a district, not an enemy. Community and parent leaders present strong evidence in an effective way with a united front and are able to find common ground and develop solutions with powerful institutions like teachers unions and school and district administrations, even in cases where those groups are former adversaries. Youth leaders prove themselves to be an invaluable asset in pinpointing the actual conditions and problems in schools and proposing solutions that adult policy-makers might not have thought of.
The results of cross-sector leadership development have been clear and well documented: better policies; safer schools; more equitably allocated supports, learning opportunities, and resources; greater public will to support schools; and improved student achievement.
The results of this kind of cross-sector leadership development have been clear and well documented: better policies; safer schools whose culture and conditions are more conducive to learning; more equitably allocated supports, learning opportunities, and resources; higher-quality teachers with better professional development; greater public will to support schools; and improved student achievement (McAlister, Mediratta & Shah 2009; Mediratta, McAlister & Shah 2009; Mediratta, Shah & McAlister 2009; Shah, Mediratta & McAlister 2009a, 2009b).
The Real Heroes
It is often observed that our nation’s ability to compete in a knowledge-based, global economy depends on a skilled and educated workforce. But the urgency of developing a new kind of leadership for educational excellence and equity does not end there. Even more important are basic principles of justice and democratic ideals. With thoughtful leadership development and structural supports for ongoing dialogue and collaboration, low-income communities, young people, district and union leadership, and other education stakeholders can work together to address many of the thorniest problems of urban education reform. No one needs to be left out of the discussion because of lack of capacity.
More and more education stakeholders are letting go of the traditional American fairy tales about leadership. They are not looking for – or trying to be – the knight in shining armor or the handsome prince who will defeat the evil enemy and save us. The true heroes of education reform in the twenty-first century are those forward-thinking leaders – from school districts, parent, student, and community groups, mayors’ or governors’ offices, teachers unions, philanthropic organizations, universities, or the myriad other groups that are an indispensable part of an education community – who share a commitment to equity and understand that we are all in this together.
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