Valuing differences: Strategies for dealing with the tensions of educational leadership in a global society

Abstract

In this article, we show that school leaders find themselves increasingly tom between pressures for conformity and diversity. We argue that pressures toward conformity undermine the ability of schools to respond effectively to diversity in their local communities. This, in turn, threatens the capacity to learn. If schools are to become learning organizations, then school leaders must recognize and challenge the confines of sameness while exploring a conception of leadership that values difference. Finally, four strategies are suggested by which leaders assist their schools in valuing and learning from difference.