Document Type
Introduction
Abstract
We live in a changing world that is highly diverse in the makeup of its people. A World Village, (Table 1), demonstrates the diversity in continent representation, economics, and religion. While this diversity adds a richness to a society, it historically has often been a source of conflict. Perhaps the conflict is no more visible than in our public schools.
Fear and misunderstanding all too often fuel the fires of conflict. I was adequately reminded of this when traveling to the Slovak Republic to work with school principals in democratizing their schools after the Velvet Revolution. Because they were a part of the communist regime for more than four decades, I held a perception of these former "communists" that was based on fear, deceit, and misunderstanding propagandized by politicians and the media. After working with Slovak school leaders for nearly a year and a half, I have discovered they are a caring, hard working, loving people. We have many more similarities than differences in our hopes, dreams, and values. This discovery came about through dialogue as we gave one another the gift of being heard and understood. Consequently, fear, distrust, suspicion, and ungrounded hatred have given way to respect, admiration, collaboration, and commitment to the work we share.
Journal Title
Institute for Educational Leadership Monograph Series
Volume
5
Issue
2
First Page
1
Last Page
5
Publisher
Institute for Educational Leadership, University of Northern Iowa
City
Cedar Falls, IA
Copyright
©1994 Institute for Educational Leadership, College of Education, and the University of Northern Iowa
Language
en
File Format
application/pdf
Recommended Citation
Else, Dave
(1994)
"Executive Summary,"
Institute for Educational Leadership Monograph Series: Vol. 5:
No.
2, Article 4.
Available at:
https://scholarworks.uni.edu/iel_monographs/vol5/iss2/4
