Reflecting: Walker and Riordan's Leading collective capacity in culturally diverse schools.

Walker and Riordan's research on leading collective capacity in culturally diverse schools focuses on the importance of positioning, structuring, expectation, expression, and profiling in creating and sustaining successful learning environments for diverse student populations.

Positioning refers to the way in which leaders position themselves and their schools within the broader community and educational context. This includes being aware of and responsive to the needs and experiences of different cultural groups within the school community, as well as the ways in which the school's mission and values align with those of the community.

Structuring refers to the ways in which leaders create and maintain the structures and processes that support collaboration and collective action within the school. This includes things like establishing clear roles and responsibilities, facilitating regular communication and decision-making, and promoting a culture of shared ownership and responsibility.

Expectation refers to the ways in which leaders set high expectations for student achievement and success, and provide the support and resources needed for students to meet those expectations. This includes things like setting clear learning goals and targets, providing ongoing feedback and support, and fostering a growth mindset among students and teachers.

Expression refers to the ways in which leaders create opportunities for students and teachers to express themselves and their cultural identities within the school community. This can include things like promoting cultural celebrations and events, encouraging the use of multiple languages, and providing resources and support for students to explore and express their cultural identities.

Profiling refers to the ways in which leaders collect and use data to understand the needs and experiences of different cultural groups within the school, and to track progress and identify areas for improvement. This includes things like conducting needs assessments, gathering feedback from students and teachers, and analyzing data on student achievement and engagement.

The main ideas to focus on from the reading are:

1. Strong leadership teams are necessary to address issues related to diversity and equity in schools.

2. Collaboration, teamwork, trust, respect, and ongoing learning and development are key characteristics of effective leadership teams.

3. Leadership teams should prioritize equity and inclusion, and work to create a school culture that values diversity and promotes academic success for all students.

4. Open communication and dialogue among team members is essential for building strong leadership teams.

5. Building strong leadership teams is necessary for creating culturally diverse schools that are able to effectively address the needs of all students.

Overall, Walker and Riordan's research highlights the importance of positioning, structuring, expectation, expression, and profiling in creating and sustaining culturally diverse and inclusive learning environments that support the success of all students.

Diversity would be the personification of a rainbow, by which there can not be a rainbow with just one color just like how the world can not be perfect with just one way of categorization that does not include any other group. Even when studies are conducted by researchers if they are not taking the big picture into view then then study would be incomplete or would rather raise questions for further study.

Reference: Allan Walker & Geoff Riordan (2010) Leading collective capacity in culturally diverse schools, School Leadership and Management, 30:1, 51-63, DOI: 10.1080/13632430903509766 https://doi.org/10.1080/13632430903509766