Case Study: Leadership & Organizational Structures for Intercultural Education
Project Name: Leadership & Organizational Structures for Intercultural Education
Project Director: Chris Cartwright
Project Location: University in Pacific Northwest
Project Description: In this course, participants developed and balanced their personal leadership skills to improve themselves, their learners, and their educational community in effective teaching and learning across cultures. The course paid particular attention to the assessment of organizational structures that impede or support all learners and their families.
Students in the course took the Achieving Styles Inventory (ASI); I visited the class and gave a brief overview of the Connective Leadership and Achieving Styles Models and gave them some relevant readings. We then discussed: (a) how the models could be employed in school leadership to support all learners, and (b) how the students' individual reports could support them in current leadership challenges. They then wrote case study and project plans and used the ASI as a tool in their work.
Project Purpose(s): To support school leaders in learning to flex and balance their leadership styles in order to serve better their increasingly diverse students, families, and communities and to introduce the Connective Leadership Model to school leaders.
Participants: High school students, non-profit administrators, for-profit administrators, consultants, mid-level employees, two middle school ESL/Bilingual Educators, and one HS principal.
Results: All of the participants understood the value of the Achieving Styles Model to their work in general and really appreciated the insights into their own strengths and challenges. One participant was able gain insight into how to break through a perception of her lack of leadership ability. She was so thrilled by the results of this breakthrough that she applied and was admitted to a School Administration Licensure program.
General Comments: The school principal was so pleased with the ASI that she has recommended it for her system-wide leadership development team (50 people)
After having attended the Connective Leadership Certified Practitioners' Seminar in Pasadena, I feel very confident presenting connective leadership and achieving styles concepts and materials and their many uses.