| Citation: | Rodriguez, R. G., & Villarreal, A. (2002). Transfomative leadership in Latino communities: A critical element in successful and sustainable educational change. NABE News, May/June 2002. |
Annotation:
This article provides some thoughts and insights on the characteristics of transformative leadership in Latino communities that champions educational equity and excellence for all students, based on experience and promising practices, lessons learned, and opportunities for changing leadership gleaned from evaluations provided by ENLACE (Engaging Latino Communities in Education) grantees. ENLACE provides resources to kindergarten through college graduation partnerships that propose to increase graduation rates of Latino students from high schools and universities. ENLACE is supported by the W. K. Kellogg Foundation and the Intercultural Development Research Association. Nine key assumptions are proposed to form a conceptual framework for building transformative leadership, based on the integration of three critical dimensions of leadership Ð community consciousness, commitment, and skills. The assumptions are: (1) visionary (2) community consciousness (3) power (4) life experiences (5) imagination (6) reflection (7) catalysts (8) valuing perspective and (9) inspiration. The authors concluded that, different from past leadership modes transformative leaders facilitate a dynamic process of learning, whereby diverse groups come to decisions in their own time and in their own time. They use the community base as an environment to achieve change, while simultaneously involving and serving its constituents. They see the community as a partner in change, a resource, and as a client. These assumptions are critical to practitionersÕ developing sustainable and community-conscious schools that provide opportunities for Latino students to succeed, graduate, and exercise their options as adults.
The Connection Collection: ©SEDL 2024