School leadership and ethnic diversity: approaching the challenge

Abstract

In this article we explore school leaders’ responses to challenges of inclusion in two Norwegian upper secondary schools. The empirical data are interviews with principals, deputies and social advisers in the two schools. We use multicultural education and inclusive leadership as theoretical lenses in the analysis. The results show that while the school leaders recognised challenges of inclusion of minority students, it did not become a driving force in their strategic work. Individual teachers were trusted to carry out their teaching practices in ways that would accommodate the needs of all students. There were few arenas for collective learning and sharing experiences about teaching the students from ethnic and linguistic minorities. The study contributes to a currently weak research base about school leadership in multicultural schools.

Keywords:

• school leadership
• upper secondary school
• ethnic and linguistic diversity
• inclusion

Notes

1. There are 423,000 immigrants and 86,000 Norwegian-born persons with immigrant parents living in Norway. Together these two groups represent 10.6% of Norway’s population (http://www.ssb.no/english/subjects/00/00/10/innvandring_en/).

2. The schools’ names are pseudonyms for the sake of confidentiality.

3. Someone had placed a poster on the wall with the text: ‘Muslim football team meet in the shelter room’. In Norwegian, a shelter room is called a ‘bomb room’ (bomberom).

4. The second largest town in Norway, situated on the west coast, and also the home town of composer and pianist Edvard Grieg (1843–1907).

5. For the next school year, this will be changed by establishing regular meetings between contact/coordinating teachers for the introductory group and one of the deputies.