Becoming a Globally Competent School Leader
Ariel Tichnor-Wagner
Table of Contents
Chapter 1. Leading with the World in Mind
Chapter 2. The Globally Competent School Leader
Chapter 3. Starting from Within
Chapter 4. Garnering Political Will
Chapter 5. Wrangling Resources
Chapter 6. Growing Global Competence in Yourself
Chapter 7. Globally Competent Leadership Throughout the System
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© ASCD 2020
Acknowledgments
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Deep and sustained school change doesn't happen overnight. It takes commitment, a whole lot of time, and teamwork. The same holds true for writing books.
The seed of the idea that germinated into this book began swirling around when I was completing my doctoral studies in the School of Education at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. During this time, I was working with a team of researchers to develop and validate the Globally Competent Learning Continuum, an online self-reflection tool and resource repository to help educators of all grade levels and subject areas develop globally competent teaching practices. As I observed and interviewed globally committed teachers in very different classroom contexts, a common sentiment emerged: teachers yearned for more support from school administrators. Yes, principals appreciated the rigorous and relevant learning being brought into the classroom, but they did not yet have expertise in how to support globally competent teaching so that it could spread in a systemic way throughout the school. Unfortunately, professional learning opportunities that explicitly targeted globally competent school leadership were few and far between.
This book seeks to help fill that gap and sustain a conversation about leading the charge in transforming schools into globally relevant and culturally sustaining spaces. In many ways, this is a companion to Becoming a Globally Competent Teacher, coauthored by me, Hillary Parkhouse, Jocelyn Glazier, and J. Montana Cain, as it provides school leaders—from principals to instructional coaches to teachers—the knowledge and skillset to cultivate a culture and climate conducive to developing, implementing, spreading, and sustaining programs and practices that prepare students to thrive in our diverse, interconnected world.
Thank you to ASCD for bringing this conversation to the forefront of education, believing in its importance, and providing me with a home to create this work. A special thank you to Allison Scott and Jamie Greene for their editorial eye—and patience!
The research upon which this book is based comes from two main sources. First is my dissertation research on the evolution, implementation, and adoption of global education policy. I humbly thank the 30+ school and district leaders who opened their calendars, offices, and schools to me. Their experiences informed the leadership-as-implementation framework that organizes much of this book, along with numerous examples of what globally competent leadership looks like on the ground in different community settings. A special thank you to my friends at World View and Participate (formerly VIF International Education) who helped forge many of these initial introductions and provided great insight into how global education programming is implemented across diverse contexts.
A second basis for this work comes from my research for the ASCD and Longview Foundation project Globally Competent Educational Leadership: A Framework for Leading Schools in a Diverse, Interconnected World. I hold a huge amount of appreciation for Jennifer Manise, a great thought partner and collaborator, in devising and gathering the right people in the room to operationalize a set of tenets for school leaders committed to global competence. I am especially grateful to the many, many teachers, principals, education leaders, and global education thought leaders who provided crucial insights into what these attributes are—and who are living and breathing this work every day. Your work is contributing to making the world a more peaceful, sustainable home for all of us who inhabit it, and it is an honor to share your collective wisdom.
Finally, this book would not be without the two most incredible people whom I have ever met: Adina and Eliana. I have been working on this book for literally their entire lives (but, in all fairness, they are only 3 and 1 as I write this). There have been times when I did not know if I would have the hours in the day or the energy to get this manuscript to press. But each time I read a headline about the latest trade war, UN climate report, or human rights violation at the border; felt the fear and sorrow following a shooting at a house of worship, school, or workplace; or witnessed the hope and energy of people coming together in global marches or acts of local volunteerism, I knew that I owed you, and your generation, this much. My hope is that when you enter kindergarten, your public education will inspire and empower you to make a positive glocal impact.
Chapter 1
Leading with the World in Mind
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One child, one teacher, one book, one pen can change the world.
Malala Yousafzai
Consider what the world looks like for our children in schools today. They are hyperconnected digital natives who have only known a world where, with a touch or swipe of a pocket-sized screen, we can instantly communicate with anyone, anywhere; find whatever information we need; and buy any product we want. Although this technology has all but eliminated geographic divides, it has also introduced invisible digital barriers, filtering what we see through