190 CRITICAL THEORY AND LEADERSHIP PRACTICES
will be taken away from the majority population? School leaders may not have the knowledge
or skills to challenge the multiple dimensions of equity associated with diversity standards.
Superintendents who serve White middle-class communities may not recognize the issues or
situations of inequity within diverse school communities. In turn, superintendents may not
know how to conceptualize, to interpret, or to confront these complex societal issues
effectively. They may not be aware of the diverse pedagogical practices, ELL research, or
policies to establish equity for demographically changing communities (see Marshall & Oliva,
2006).
The weighted means for White, male, middle-class/upper-class superintendents for
diversity elements within national leadership standards suggest a need for more cultural
awareness, exposure, and understanding of diversity issues. Increasing attention to diversity
within preparation programs might be necessary for superintendents who lead schools in the
21 st century as they experience changes in their role to serve increasingly diverse schools
(Kowalski, 2003; Young & Creighton, 2002). As superintendents come to understand their
emerging role as the primary voice of the school community, they will be held responsible for
promoting the values of a democratic society (Bjork & Kowalski, 2005). It was not clear to
what extent superintendents fully understand the relevance or implications of national
leadership standards for school leaders. Findings reveal a dissonance between respondents’
rank-ordered diversity standards and the projected increases in their marginalized populations.
These projected increases call for superintendents who can execute culturally responsive
strategic plans. The demand for such policy changes were not reflected in the rank-ordered
scores for White, middle-class/upper-class, males, who comprised the majority of respondents
in this study. Although projected demographic changes are inevitable, there seems to be a lag
between White, male, middle/upper class respondents’ rank-ordered scores and the immediate
demand for meeting the needs for increasingly diverse learning communities.
As the nation continues to undergo dramatic demographic changes, university faculty,
policy makers, school leaders, and educators must embark upon a new era in public education.
Scholars who prepare superintendents to lead schools effectively might reinforce the moral
purpose of education by perpetuating a new cycle of empowerment. This new cycle begins
with scholars creating culturally responsive learning communities within universities. This
transformation could give birth to a new advocacy model, promoting aspiring superintendents
who are culturally competent and morally committed to empowering diverse school
populations. Culturally competent candidates could capitalize on their newly found cultural
knowledge and skills by making a concerted effort to infuse knowledge into their practice. In
turn, superintendents might begin to eliminate the disparities for children within marginalized
populations. This critical mass of superintendents, who will be in positions of power, could
promote meeting the needs of diverse student populations as a viable mechanism to employ
reform. This type of initiative might encourage an ensemble of legislative reform efforts.
Legislators, in turn, might create political alliances to extinguish the predicted negative
consequences associated with the increased minority populations and globalization within
America’s public schools. The potential for such policies alludes to long-standing systemic
change for public schools, which should be taken seriously. We need competent,
knowledgeable, skillful superintendents who can uphold the nation’s democratic ideals in
times of controversy and challenge.
One means of upholding these democratic ideas is to infuse these philosophical
underpinnings within school leadership preparedness programs. Today, school leaders should
be equipped with the ability to create long-standing systemic change that promotes
educational equity encompasses fiscal, administrative, programmatic, and attitudinal