A developmental lens for understanding the preparation of culturally responsive school leaders

Purpose The purpose of this article is to examine how pre-service leaders enrolled in a district–university leadership preparation program expressed their understandings of culturally responsive school leadership (CRSL). Design/methodology/approach We apply developmental adult learning theory, connecting Drago-Severson's four ways of knowing for social justice to specific CRSL practices, to qualitatively analyze interviews with pre-service leaders. Findings Our findings indicate disproportionate emphasis on instrumental capacities and the infrequent discussion of self-transforming capacities. We also identify an overemphasis on being critically conscious and engaging in critical self-reflection on leadership behaviors, as well as an underemphasis on engaging students, families, and community contexts. Practical implications Based on our findings, we note key program components that were reported as supporting the pre-service leaders' developing understanding of CRSL and suggest program components to support pre-service leaders' growing edges. Social implications During an era of hostility toward programs committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion, our research offers tools to sustain their work within district-university partnerships. Originality/value Currently, culturally responsive leadership frameworks exist for practicing leaders as they envision what mastery looks like. Yet, these frameworks fail to answer the question of how school leaders develop culturally responsive practices. Our research contributes to understanding how CRSL is developed and supported by district-university partnerships. We offer a developmental framework for preparing culturally responsive school leaders that can be applied in future research.