As the world becomes increasingly globalised due to a multitude of reasons, ranging from economic imperatives to increased military conflict, the need to equip school leaders to reach more diversified student populations becomes increasingly vital.
The education of diverse groups of students from different cultural and ethnic backgrounds continues to bear its weight on the social and political agendas all over the world. But are these challenges being addressed in our schools? Are our heads of school prepared to embrace the challenges brought about by ethnic diversity? Are our heads of school supported in developing inclusive agendas?
Over the years, there have been concerns about the extent to which schools are able to provide an education that meets the needs of both individual students from minority ethnic backgrounds and an ethnically diverse society.
One of the key determinants for meeting such needs is the development of intrinsic values of school leaders. Such values are frequently manifested by personal demeanor or, more explicitly, by direct references to ethnic diversity in the school’s mission statement. But the extent to which these values actually permeate the walls of the classroom remains to be seen and, perhaps, studied in more detail.
School leaders who truly profess inclusive agenda need to be more open towards the promotion of issues related to ethnic diversity. School leaders should not only follow policy but take an active role in shaping it by developing strong partnerships both inside and outside their school community.
The whole concept of multi-ethnic school leadership cannot be confined to within the school walls
School leadership is, by its very nature, an interdependent activity. Such interdependent nature is illustrated by the link between leaders’ personal values and the commitment to creating inclusive organisational cultures within the school. Efforts need to be directed at mitigating against the existence of structural inequalities, particularly those associated with ethnicity, gender and class. Such inequalities would then become a fertile ground for creating invisible but, nonetheless, obtrusive barriers towards equal representation and participation of the whole school.
Promoting neutral, one-size-fits-all approaches are contrary to inclusive practices and are ineffective at meeting the challenges posed by multi-ethnicity. Such approaches promote mediocrity and perpetuate existing inequalities.
On the other hand, the promotion of differential methods of teaching leads to equitable outcomes and increased participation among students.
It is the school leader who needs to be a catalyst for the promotion of inclusive cultures within his/her school also through the support of the education directorate.
Primarily, there has to be an increase in student participation in all aspects of school life through the promotion of effective student councils, always ensuring that the ethnic composition with these councils reflects the school’s diverse population and that the contribution of students is sought and highly valued. Such synergy will give rise to the creation of organisational cultures for students, staff and the wider community where ethnic diversity is valued, respected and celebrated.
At this point in time, school leaders need to embark on recruitment strategies that go beyond the traditional centralised human resources employment system. Due consideration needs to be given to the allocation of organisational resources aimed at recruiting and retaining high-quality staff whose ethnic profile broadly reflects that of the local community.
Using our cultural capital, we must be able to work around the timing of school events taking account of local working patterns and religious obligations. Schools must be able to respond flexibly to overcoming the barriers to participation in school life by reaching out themselves to parents rather than expecting parents to come to the school. The engagement of community-link staff (cultural mediators) needs to be encouraged and valued.
To surmise, the quest for school leaders to ensure a values-driven education entrenched in the principles of multicultural education and which responds to the ethnic composition in their schools is by no means an easy ride.
The whole concept of multi-ethnic school leadership cannot be confined to within the school walls but needs to be actively communicated to parents, local organisations and the wider community.
It should not be perceived as an added burden but as an essential tool to dismantle social barriers through the widespread recognition of common values and beliefs.
Brian Vassallo specialises in multicultural education.