Developing a More Diversified School Leadership Pipeline: Recruitment, Selection, and Admission Through an Innovative University-District Partnership

• In Event: Increasing the Diversity of the School Leadership Workforce and Supporting Equitable Education Systems

Abstract

Educational leadership preparation programs are the main route for preparing school leaders (Young, 2011) and, accordingly, carry the responsibility of preparing school leaders for the cultural diversity present in their schools (Horsford, Grosland, & Gunn, 2011). Some preparation programs have individually tried to recruit and retain candidates from minoritized groups (Creighton & Jones, 2001; Norton, 1994). However, these efforts remain unmeasured and their effectiveness unknown (Creighton & Jones, 2001). This case study examined how a large urban/suburban university-district partnership fostered recruitment and admission processes that led to a more diversified school leadership pipeline over a ten-year period to reflect the growing diversity of the student and community population served. Four main findings emerged, including the importance of context, strong superintendent engagement in the effort, the construction of a structural blueprint for admission, and values and informal norms that supported the steady diversification of the applicant pool.

Authors

• Daniel Reyes-Guerra, Florida Atlantic University

• Maysaa Y. Barakat, Florida Atlantic University

• Patricia Maslin-Ostrowski, Florida Atlantic University