242 CRITICAL THEORY AND LEADERSHIP PRACTICES
change process to strengthen prospective superintendents’ knowledge base when facing change.
This can be done through case studies, problem-based learning, and simulations.
The third research question investigated the importance and implementation of staff
development. Staff development was an important component in leading these districts to
become more culturally proficient. However, it was also evident that the staff development must
be focused specifically on meeting diverse student needs. This suggests the importance of
school district leaders to provide staff development that specifically addresses meeting the
diverse needs of a multicultural society, and encourage school faculty members to engage in
book studies which focus on diversity. Additionally, training should begin at the undergraduate
level to provide pre-service teachers with cultural understandings and continue through all levels
of graduate work.
CONCLUSION
This qualitative study supported the position of the superintendent as key to providing
educational opportunities to all students in the district by having a vision that leads the charge to
promote culturally proficient understanding in the district. This includes hiring the right teachers,
understanding the need for change, making an urgent commitment, and promoting staff
development that emphasizes student achievement for all and providing teachers with training in
culturally proficient teaching methods.
Findings from this study suggest that the topic of superintendents and cultural proficiency is
an area for future studies to consider. We suggest that a key point to be investigated should be
greater variations in the size of the districts involved in the sample. In this study the smallest
district involved enrolled over 4,500 students. Would the findings of the study be different in
smaller districts with student populations of fewer than 4,500?
Another consideration for further study would be the geographic area in which school
districts are located. The five districts represented in this study were all located in growing areas
of Texas that were experiencing rapid increases in minority populations which had been
traditionally white. Would the findings be different if the superintendents selected had been
located in districts that were experiencing growth in student population, but maintaining the
same percentage of ethnicity as in prior years?
Selection of participants should also be considered. The participants in this study comprised
a sample based on convenience. The researcher either knew the superintendents previous to the
interviews or knew of them by personal or district reputation. Perhaps the study findings would
have been different if the sample had been random or included all districts throughout the state.
Investigating the superintendent role in other states would also be valuable, since changing
student demographics are occurring throughout the United States.
The ideologies underlying many school policies and practices today are often based on
flawed notions of cultural proficiency. The superintendent’s need to understand cultural issues
in today’s schools is critical to the success of the children in our schools. After all, the
superintendent is held ultimately responsible for the learning that occurs in the school district.
As one superintendent eloquently expressed:
Leading for improved cultural proficiency means understanding who students are, where they
come from, what motivates them, what encourages them. What is it that they need to take them
to the next level? Holding high expectations for everyone is key, and this cannot be done without
understanding cultural issues.