African Americans and School Leadership: An Introduction

Elementary and secondary education is constantly discussed by the public media and scholars as the best medicine to help America compete effectively in the latest version of economic globalization. This article examines public education in an open political system involving racial, cultural, and ethnically diverse society and argues that such a diverse education should be reflected among school leaders. The author concludes that given this diversity, many African Americans live in single-race communities and attend single-race schools; we need to broaden our theory of leadership to include the views of African American scholars and practitioners and improve leadership preparation programs. The setting for this shift in educational paradigms is more imperative given the ending of the desegregation era. Much of the information can be applied to other racial and ethnic groups but is aimed specifically at African Americans.