Effective Communication and Culturally Responsive Leadership

Abstract

Lately, literature and research in the United States have reported that culturally responsive leadership has become predominant because the increasing diversity in public schools has brought us to a critical juncture. A cultural gap exists between students from diverse backgrounds and their white middle-class teachers, leading to a mismatch in the delivered curricula, leaving many students feeling disconnected, disengaged, and uninterested in the educational process. These emotions can have profound and long-lasting effects particularly due to language and verbal participation structures. Thus, a factor of communication that enhances culturally responsive leadership has been found to enable students' achievement in schools in the US because culturally responsive leadership involves integrating leadership philosophies, practices, and policies to create an inclusive educational environment for students and parents from diverse cultural and ethnic backgrounds. This entails understanding that communication is a complex process that encompasses words, intentions, contexts, histories, and attitudes. As school leaders navigate the complex landscape of modern education, their communication skills become not just desirable but truly critical for any leader to enhance culturally responsive among students and teachers. Thus, this paper recommends School leaders must find ways to bridge language gaps to ensure teaching and learning difficulties in communicating effectively across languages between teachers and students. It is paramount for principals to demonstrate excellent communication skills for listening to and interacting within the teaching and learning process to enhance student achievement effective communication and culturally responsive leadership.