Towards School Leadership Development: The Essence of Working with Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Newcomer Families in Saskatchewan

Year 2019, Volume: 4 Issue: 2, 195 - 229, 15.11.2019

Janet Mola Okoko

https://doi.org/10.30828/real/2019.2.1

Cited By: 3

Abstract

The article
is based on a study whose purpose was to examine the lived experience of school
leaders in Saskatoon with newcomers to whom English is an additional Language
(EAL). Phenomenology as a methodological approach was used to gather and
analyze data from leaders representing two school divisions. What was common in
their accounts was synthesized to establish the essence of the leaders’
experience with EAL newcomers. Findings revealed that the nature of the
experience manifests as a celebration, a learning opportunity and as a
challenge. Its essence requires school leaders to have knowledge, skills and
dispositions for acknowledging and responding appropriately to difference and
the associated stereotypes, cultural diversity with its infinite variations, relations
between dominant and minority cultures, the role of parents, communities and
inter-organizational partnerships in school leaders-newcomer relationship. The
essence also calls for school leaders to have self-knowledge, to be more
reflective, and to embrace cognitive dissonance as learning opportunities.

Keywords

School leadership development, newcomer families, cultural diversity, linguistically diverse, culturally responsive leadership

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