ABSTRACT
In this chapter we view U.S. leadership preparation from a global stage. We bring together voices from various parts of the world to consider why stepping outside a U.S. perspective may help develop U.S. programs. We explore why culture is a critical consideration in the design and delivery of programs, analyze the diff ering approaches to leader development (initial preparation and ongoing education) in a variety of countries, and suggest the major lessons emerging for U.S. leader preparation. Our premise is that engaging with the plurality of systems with their rich spectrum of values, cultural underpinning, and variation in practice is a means of both enriching U.S. programs and contributing to the worldwide development of education leaders. We argue for recognition, valuing, and utilization of diff erence. Consequently, we adopt an approach that is consistent with this value base, allowing the writers’ diff erent voices to be discernible. While we construct a coherent sequence of arguments and explorations, we make no attempt to homogenize the chapter into a composite, single voice. Rather, the chapter requires the orientation being suggested to those involved with preparation programs, that readers engage with diff erent perspectives and views to refl ect on their own assumptions and practice. Th e writer is consequently identifi ed for each of the four sections of the chapter.
