ABSTRACT
School leaders in 21st-century multicultural learning environments face challenges brought about by dissenting ideals and cross-cultural conflicts. Moreover, with the growing call for inclusive education, schools need to have the right people to be champions of inclusion through relevant practices, programmes, and policies. This chapter contextualises leadership in schools in terms of what constitutes a ‘good leader’ in a culturally diverse learning environment. The notion of a culturally strategic leader is also defined based on the relevant leadership theories and according to the framework proposed by this book. An overview of the research conducted in national and international schools in Malaysia is presented towards the end of this chapter as a foundation in understanding how school leaders in multicultural learning environments could develop their cultural intelligence and leadership capabilities for a healthy organisation and towards inclusive education.
