A Culturally Affirming Shared Leadership Framework

Abstract

The American School Counselor Association (ASCA) encourages school counselors to promote equity experiences for all students through leadership, advocacy, and collaboration. School counselors and school administrators (e.g., principals, assistant principals) are uniquely positioned to combine their social capital in an effort to create a positive school culture and empower students who have been historically oppressed. We acknowledge the existence of current leadership approaches applicable to the educational setting; however, the literature lacks action steps for these professionals to collaboratively utilize their leadership skills as they champion social justice. Therefore, we present a culturally affirming, shared leadership framework that may be applied within P–12 schools and school counselor and leadership educator preparation programs.

Keywords

collaboration culturally affirming school administrator social capital social justice

The American School Counselor Association’s (ASCA, 2021) 2020 State of the Profession report indicated that only 22% of school counselors applied efforts to disrupt policies and practices that negatively impact students of color. Moving beyond acknowledgment of the issue, expanding awareness, and implementing action-based efforts are important for school counselors to effectively enact change. Furthermore, ASCA (2019a) encourages school counselors to promote equity experiences for all students through leadership, advocacy, and collaboration.

Shared leadership has emerged as an effective approach to empower school counselors and to collaboratively address systemic issues (McCarty et al., 2014). The capacity of shared leadership relies on the leaders’ combined social capital (i.e., the effective functioning of networks of relationships within a community), rather than individual responsibilities. This enhances the abilities of school counselors and school administrators (e.g., principals, assistant principals) to efficiently establish and sustain safe and affirming educational environments. Collaboration and shared leadership between school counselors and school administrators are foundational for equitable school environments (Boyland et al., 2019).

Collectively, school counselors and school administrators must recognize the distinct struggles of historically oppressed students, actively dismantle barriers, and engage in advocacy and culturally affirming practices (Sandifer et al., 2021). While scholars use various terms to define and/or discuss cultural considerations (e.g., culturally responsive, culturally sustaining, culturally relevant, culturally competent), we distinctly use the term culturally affirming and understand it as a mindset/approach that is proactive, embraces differences, and considers the experiences of marginalized groups (Brant-Rajahn et al., 2022). School counseling and school administration fields independently address culturally affirming praxis and leadership, but there is a need for a shared framework to develop this work collaboratively and to address the noticeable gaps in the literature. Therefore, we (former school counselors and a school administrator) present a culturally affirming, shared leadership framework that may be adopted by P–12 professionals and educator preparation programs for school counselors and school administrators. We also provide a vignette and professional development considerations, implications for graduate programs, and recommendations.

School Leadership

Although more school counseling training programs are including leadership skill training in their curricula, school counselors still need support in developing this area of their professional identity (Robinson et al., 2019). School administrators’ willingness to embrace this concept can play a critical role in how well school counselors are able to ascend to this charge. Santamaría and Santamaría (2015) described leadership in education as interdisciplinary, complex, and multipronged. Therefore, educators are encouraged to embrace opportunities geared toward improving the preparation of school administrators to effectively collaborate with counselors. DeSimone and Roberts (2016) reported that preservice school counselors and school administrators benefited from collaborative training experiences and found value in the explorations of role perceptions and shared projects.

Boyland et al. (2019) proposed an interdisciplinary framework to build this awareness in educator preparation programs. Their framework included culturally affirming, standards-based practices designed to provide programs with a cross-curricular resource to increase preservice professionals’ ability to work collaboratively, promote education for social justice, and develop social capital networks. The use of applicable theoretical models and organizational standards may serve to enhance leadership skills. School leaders are also encouraged to select preferred leadership styles based on organizational factors (i.e., structure, policy, function, environment; Kiral, 2020). Therefore, leadership models should not be viewed as mutually exclusive or standardized. Educational leaders should consider the needs of an increasingly multicultural society and engage in collaboration to maximize impact (Futrell, 2011).

School Counselor Leadership

The ASCA School Counselor Professional Standards & Competencies (ASCA, 2019b) outline the skills necessary for school counselors to effectively meet the demands of the profession and notes that leadership should be reflected throughout comprehensive programs (B-PF 7). Further, the ASCA Ethical Standards (2022) provide direction for best practice and contain guidance specifically related to leadership (B.2.d). Professional literature also provides information regarding leadership in school counseling (Erford, 2019; Robinson et al., 2019; Shell, 2021; Shields et al., 2018; Strear et al., 2019).

Although this topic is well represented, we highlight select approaches to leadership that are embraced by ASCA. Bolman and Deal’s (2017) leadership framework is a required component of the ASCA Leadership Specialist training course. This framework includes a focus on structural leadership (organizational structures), human resource leadership (empowerment/support), political leadership (networking/collaborating), and symbolic leadership (shared vision). Although leadership is expected, school counselors may be faced with barriers as they assume the affiliated role and responsibilities. For example, Robinson et al. (2019) suggested that school counselors perceived “administrative support to be an essential factor that can promote or impede their ability to be school leaders” (p. 9). Strear et al. (2019) suggested more opportunities for training for school counselors. While ASCA has provided resources for school counselors to develop these skills (e.g., ASCA Leadership Specialist Training, webinars, articles), collaborative leadership with school administrators may also mitigate the barriers school counselors face as they engage in leadership practices.

School Administrator Leadership

A review of the literature revealed information related to several leadership models including transformational, transactional, and instructional leadership styles (Brolund, 2016; Burns, 2010; Lamm et al., 2016). Transactional leadership consists of positive and negative reinforcers to obtain desired outcomes (Burns, 2010), while transformational leadership involves a shared responsibility to ensure that all individuals are highly motivated and collaborative (Lamm et al., 2016). Instructional leadership is a commonly utilized style whereby the school administrators work with faculty to identify goals to promote student growth (Brolund, 2016).

Leaders must reflect on and challenge beliefs and attitudes before attempting organizational changes (Ishimaru & Galloway, 2021). Despite the aforementioned approaches, school administrators tend to amalgamate various leadership models when performing their duties. The increased demand for educational accountability, such as the Every Student Succeeds Act (2015), and equitable outcomes for all students has created the necessity to identify the leadership style that would yield optimal results. Moreover, leaders must interrupt harmful practices, eradicate educational inequities, and consider environmental conditions that center around diversity and inclusion (Ishimaru & Galloway, 2014; Singleton, 2015).

Equity-Based School Counseling Leadership

The transformative leadership model is a prominent framework that is collaborative and promotes social justice within the school counseling profession (Shields et al., 2018). This model addresses a mandate for equitable change, in part by deconstructing knowledge frameworks that continue inequities and injustices and then reconstructing them with equity and justice at the center. This framework emphasizes an equitable distribution of power. Shields et al. (2018) further suggested school counselors examine school-wide data for disparities then address how discriminatory practices and biases may contribute to these disparities as they relate to deficit-thinking about students. Therefore, as school counselors and school administrators consider policies and practices, they must also consider how procedures and programming impact the student body and the way students experience a sense of belonging. School counselors and school administrators should not end with an examination in each of these areas, but an intentional commitment to address inequities as a part of their ongoing work.

Equity-Based School Administrator’s Leadership

The Culturally Responsive School Leadership (CRSL) framework provides a novel approach within the school administration field that addresses equity, advocacy, and social justice implications (Khalifa et al., 2016). The CRSL framework includes a focus on self-awareness, culturally responsive curricula and teacher preparation, culturally responsive environments, and engaging students and parents. The critical self-awareness component encourages school administrators to reflect on positionality and biases while considering the impact on the environment. They also examine inequitable factors that negatively impact students. The culturally responsive curricula and teacher preparation component focuses on intentionality in recruitment and hiring practices of diverse staff and supports faculty professional development through culturally relevant training and resources. School administrators address oppressive and discriminatory policies/practices within the culturally responsive and inclusive school environment component. Last, the engaging students and parents component requires school administrators to consistently engage stakeholders, integrate their voices, and consider the needs of students and families in initiatives.

According to Khalifa (2018), “CRSL is not only necessary for self-reflection, but . . . is the only way to attain school-wide cultural responsiveness and equity-based reform” (p. 170). This concept is critical considering the many factors that continue to threaten the academic, social/emotional, and career development of students who are marginalized.

Shared Leadership

Spillane and Diamond (2007) noted that shared leadership is synonymous with distributed leadership, reflects shared responsibilities, and is characterized into several types as follows: (a) collaborated distribution (multiple leaders working simultaneously in the same setting), (b) collective distribution (leaders working independently for a shared goal), and (c) coordinated distribution (leaders maintain a sequential routine in completing activities). Scholars have suggested that school leadership should not be viewed merely as management or a function that is the sole responsibility of school administrators (Janson et al., 2009; Santamaría & Santamaría, 2015), but as an inclusive practice of governance whereby participants contribute their unique expertise to enhance school culture and climate (Janson et al., 2009). Furthermore, the power of shared leadership relies on combined social capital, rather than individual leaders’ responsibilities.

According to Social Capital Theory (Bourdieu, 1986), social networks may contribute to the greater good through collaboration and shared support. Scholars note that school-based social capital can impact student outcomes (Gibson & Sandifer, 2020; McCarty et al., 2014), and the combined social capital between school counselors and school administrators can positively impact school culture (Edwards et al., 2014; Rock et al., 2017). For example, studies showed improvement in student behavior and academics when school leaders collaborated with community members to mentor students (Gibson et al., 2019; Rose & Steen, 2014). National organizations have also recognized the importance of a collaborative approach. For instance, College Board, ASCA, and the National Association of Secondary School Principals partnered to update the Enhancing the Principal-School Counselor Relationship Toolkit (College Board, 2021). This resource highlights four key areas (i.e., communication, trust/respect, leadership, and collaborative planning) to strengthen the school counselor–school administrator relationship. Although tools exist that could be used to foster synergy, guidance related to integrating cultural considerations into leadership practice is minimal.

Culturally Affirming Practices

Santamaría and Santamaría (2015) suggested that cultural, ethnic, racial, gender, and class differences must be acknowledged, celebrated, and understood to foster sustainable desirable change. Culturally affirming practices center around racial identity development and promote positive self-concept (Gibson, 2020), emphasize racial consciousness, and affirm the lived experiences of marginalized groups (Allen et al., 2013). Such practices also make relevant connections between intervention objectives and the student’s environment (Ladson-Billings, 2021; Moore-Thomas & Day-Vines, 2010).

Gibson et al. (2019) found that the use of culturally affirming interventions and the establishment of genuine student connections were associated with improved student success. Conversely, research has demonstrated that the educational potential of marginalized populations is minimized when cultural considerations are not infused into educational practices (Dee & Penner, 2017; Larson et al., 2018). Many proactive, preventative, and responsive systemic approaches (e.g., multitiered systems of supports, Response to Intervention, Positive Behavior Interventions and Support, restorative practices) can be enhanced to meet student needs when cultural and social factors are considered. For example, restorative practices are grounded in positive relationships between students and adults and have fostered a sense of belonging in lieu of punitive and oppressive measures that largely impact Black and Hispanic students (Smith et al., 2018).

Darling-Hammond et al. (2020) discussed culturally relevant pedagogical practices (e.g., using culturally connected curriculum) and found these practices to be effective in empowering students and determining the likelihood of gains in achievement and other student outcomes. School administrators and school counselors should continue to move beyond awareness to action, which includes uncomfortable conversations and focused practices to foster equity and access for all students (Grothaus et al., 2020; Sandifer et al., 2021). School counselors and administrators can maximize school success and positive student outcomes when they work together to dismantle oppressive policies and practices; however, there is a need for a clear framework with action steps for school counselors and administrators to collaboratively utilize their skills as they champion social justice.

Many leadership theories and models (e.g., shared leadership, transformational leadership, culturally responsive leadership, social capital theory) undergird the collaborative approaches between school counselors and school administrators. We agree with Janson et al. (2009) that leadership is “best understood as a collection of collaborative practices among professionals within schools” (p. 100). With this in mind, school counselors and school administrators could benefit from a team approach to best meet the needs of all students. As such, the presented framework centers shared leadership with an integrated culturally affirming focus, which addresses collaborative efforts rather than an isolated approach that separates the roles of both professions. This framework is a Culturally Affirming Shared Leadership (CASL) framework that may be adopted by professionals within P–12 schools and preparation programs for school counselors and school administrators.

Culturally Affirming Shared Leadership Framework

Examining leadership models of school counselors and school administrators makes clear that both professions demonstrate a need for transformational leadership that requires highly collaborative approaches. However, the gap in the literature also suggests that school counselors and school administrators could benefit from a shared framework that helps them facilitate a collective approach to addressing inequities. We assert that school leadership must be redefined by moving away from a hierarchical model to a shared leadership model.

The CASL framework centers leadership as a collaborative practice. We developed this framework (see Figure 1) by examining the school counselor and school administrator leadership models discussed previously in this article and considering additional models that focus on social capital, social justice, and culturally responsive practices in schools. This framework includes four components (i.e., reflection; culturally relevant data collection, assessment, and evaluation; culturally affirming practices; and antiracist professional development) and presents related action steps for school counselors and school administrators to collaboratively address inequities and social injustice. The CASL framework is also designed to leverage the unique expertise and social capital of school counselors and school administrators as they implement collective efforts to create affirming school cultures and dismantle oppressive systems.

Figure 1.

Culturally affirming shared leadership framework.

Reflection

Critical self-awareness is a key concept of the CRSL framework (Khalifa et al., 2016) that aims to examine inequities in schools. The reflection component of the presented CASL framework extends the work of Khalifa et al. (2016) by proposing a collaborative approach to reflect upon the positionality and practices of school leadership from the lens of shared leadership. Introspective self-reflection is a necessary and reflexive individual practice in that school counselors and school administrators must explore their own thoughts and feelings and adjust their actions accordingly. School counselors and administrators could also incorporate team reflection as they evaluate the effectiveness of current leadership approaches and their impact on student success and school climate. The following questions may aid in self-reflection to assess personal biases and beliefs:

How might exploring my implicit bias help my professional lens and decision making?

What do I believe about systems of oppression and privilege?

What assumptions do I make about students and their families based on their identities?

What action steps can I take to educate myself about diverse cultures?

The following questions may serve as a beginning resource for team reflection:

How are we distributing and monitoring related tasks among the school leadership team?

How is our leadership model impacting faculty development and student outcomes?

How are we measuring our effectiveness as a team?

How are we demonstrating commitment to cultural humility and knowledge acquisition?

How are we fostering culturally inclusive and affirming climates?

How are we utilizing our combined social capital to support student success?

These questions may be included as a part of the collaborative meetings discussed subsequently.

Culturally Relevant Data Collection, Assessment, and Evaluation

As reflected in the aforementioned leadership approaches, school counselors and school administrators are individually or separately tasked with examining school-wide data. However, there is a need to integrate a collaborative approach that prioritizes collecting and disaggregating data for the purpose of identifying inequities and establishing a shared mission and goals. The CASL framework addresses culturally responsive data collection from a shared leadership lens. School counselors and school administrators could engage in culturally relevant assessment and evaluation by identifying and dismantling inequities in leadership practices and student outcomes. Such evaluation could include disaggregation of school data by racial and ethnic identity, gender, home language, and ability identity to determine school needs, existing disparities, and multicultural-social justice issues. Data points for assessment could include quantitative data (e.g., standardized test scores, student grades, attendance, discipline) and referrals for specialized services (e.g., Response to Intervention, special education, gifted education, advanced placement courses).

While these data points are essential to understand the needs of students, collecting data from students and parents (e.g., school climate assessments, surveys, focus groups, parent/stakeholder meetings) is also imperative to ensure that an equitable voice is provided to all stakeholders and diverse cultural experiences are explored. School counselors and school administrators should commit to ongoing collaborative meetings to disaggregate and discuss data and develop measurable goals specific to addressing inequities. School counselors and administrators should also develop a shared mission and vision specific to creating and sustaining a culturally affirming environment. ASCA (2019a) suggests at least one annual meeting between school counselors and school administrators to focus on program priorities. However, collaborative meetings should occur frequently in addition to the annual school administrator meeting recommended by ASCA. Although collaborative meetings may inform school counseling service delivery, this should not be the sole focus.

Culturally Affirming Practices

Culturally affirming practices embrace the lived experiences of marginalized groups of people (Allen et al., 2013; Brant-Rajahn et al., 2022). School counselors and school administrators must intentionally find ways to foster belongingness, celebrate diversity, and effectively engage with stakeholders to promote student success. Integration of culturally affirming practices involves a commitment to advocacy (ASCA, 2021; Moore-Thomas & Day-Vines, 2010), cultivating inclusive environments (Khalifa et al., 2016), ensuring equitable stakeholder engagement (Khalifa et al, 2016; Rose & Steen, 2014), and providing culturally relevant support with an antiracist lens.

Advocacy

Advocacy should occur at the micro level (e.g., individual student, school-wide systems) and/or macro level (e.g., district-wide, community). At the individual student level, leaders should acknowledge the role of power and oppression and empower students to discuss these experiences and create pathways to address the issues. At a school-wide systems level, leaders should address organizational structures and systemic barriers, such as uncovering and addressing inequities in student outcomes. School counselors and school administrators must also utilize their own social capital to challenge harmful policies, perspectives, and problematic behaviors at the school (e.g., changing discriminatory dress code) and district level (e.g., addressing the school board regarding removal of diverse curriculum).

Creating an Inclusive and Equitable School Culture

As school counselors and school administrators dismantle problematic systems, they must replace them with equitable conditions to improve school climate. School climate reflects the institutions' organizational structures; values, goals, and norms; teaching and learning pedagogy and practice; and interpersonal relationships (National School Climate Center, n.d.).

An inclusive school culture begins with representation of faculty and staff that reflect the diversity of the student body. School administrators should be intentional in hiring practices and recruit candidates of color that represent the student population, when possible. School counselors and school administrators could encourage the integration of diverse materials and pedagogical strategies. The addition of diverse perspectives adds to school-based social capital and benefits all students. School counselors and school administrators should also be cognizant of and address issues related to school racial socialization by ridding the school culture of a color-evasive mentality. Furthermore, school counselors and school administrators could also examine intergroup interactions by exploring environmental conditions among and across culturally different groups and implement a structure to report incidents of discrimination and policies for addressing incidents.

Equitable Stakeholder Engagement

School counselors and school administrators should utilize a collaborative, assets-based approach when establishing school–community partnerships, and be intentional in developing positive relationships with external stakeholders (e.g., parents/guardians, community partners). In an effort to achieve this, school counselors and school administrators must lean into stakeholder strengths and provide relevant contributions for continued growth. Although assessing stakeholder needs is important in providing meaningful contributions, equally important is that school counselors and school administrators reject a deficit perspective (Greer & Webb, 2020) and the “savior” complex (Holcomb-McCoy, 2022).

Because positive relationships form when stakeholders feel welcomed and included, strategic and authentic communication is key in relationship development. Effective communication with stakeholders is ongoing and synergetic. School counselors and school administrators must also consider modes of communication when reaching out to stakeholders and utilize a variety of approaches for delivery (e.g., languages, physical newsletters, parent meetings, virtual platforms). School counselors and administrators must also work together as a team to consider accessibility issues to ensure that all stakeholders have equitable access to resources and services. This inclusive approach requires revisions of traditional systems and processes to better accommodate diverse groups. School counselors and administrators must demonstrate leadership through service by operating as advocates for community needs and contributing to the collective social capital.

Antiracist Professional Development

Although many professional development opportunities focus on pedagogy and practice, there is often minimal attention to centering and serving diverse cultures. Positive relationships enhance the relevance of instructional practices and student outcomes, especially for students of color, thus attention to culture and antiracist practices in professional development is imperative. Consequently, school counselors and school administrators should implement ongoing professional development for faculty that centers around cultural considerations and affirming practices.

First, it is important that faculty understand the rationale for antiracist professional development. School leadership must engage in ongoing courageous conversations about systems of power, privilege, and structural racism and oppression and how these systems influence school culture and practices (Singleton, 2015). Next, they must define racism and antiracism and then challenge faculty to address their personal values and biases in the context of this knowledge. School administrators and school counselors should then consider sharing data reports from school advisory and other school-based teams that discuss educational inequities and access to opportunities. Data sharing could be coupled with discussions and exercises that challenge faculty to consider possible causes of these disparities and brainstorm ways to address them. For example, school administrators and school counselors can facilitate real-life or mock scenarios that ask faculty to apply an equity lens for conceptualizing and problem solving. Although ongoing professional development is necessary, defensiveness and resistance from faculty may occur. School counselors and school administrators must be able to recognize and address this by providing space for faculty to reflect on and discuss reactions they might experience. Furthermore, state and local policies may include language restricting school administrators and school counselors from teaching or discussing topics deemed “divisive;” however, addressing harmful discriminatory practices should not be classified as such.

The proposed leadership model is designed to leverage the unique expertise and social capital of school counselors and school administrators as they collaboratively dismantle systemic barriers and oppressive policies. The following vignette may help the reader conceptualize the model in practice.

Vignette

Sankofa Middle School, located in a suburban Southern town, served a relatively diverse population of 1526 students (40% Black, 37% White, 18% Hispanic, 4% Asian, 1% Native American, and 1% other). Although the student population was diverse, the faculty was significantly less racially and culturally diverse and reported difficulty with making connections with students and families from diverse backgrounds. School counselors and school administrators adopted the CASL framework and applied it to their practice (see Table 1).

Table 1.

CASL Framework Vignette Example.

CASL component	Shared leadership practice
Reflection	The school counselor–school administrator team engaged in reflection to assess the effectiveness of the team during the prior school year and reflect about how their own values and biases may have impacted previous action steps and decision making.
Culturally relevant data collection, assessment, and evaluation	The school counselor–school administrator team reviewed data reports and surveys, and then created measurable goals to address inequities.
Culturally affirming practices	Advocacy: The school counselor–school administrator team discussed how current policies and assessment practices contributed to the underrepresentation of Black and Hispanic/Latino students in advanced classes; the team presented methods to address this.
	Creating an inclusive and equitable school culture: School administrators posted faculty vacancy announcements through diverse educator organizations and sent personal invitations to a counselor-generated list of HBCUs and other minority-serving institutions; the team utilized the ASCA Awareness Dates Calendar and diverse stakeholder input as planning tools for school-wide cultural appreciation activities.
	Equitable stakeholder engagement: School counselors and school administrators created a more diverse advisory council with representatives from the student body, parents/guardians, faculty members, and community; based on feedback, the school counselor–school administrator team solicited additional resources to increase support for first language not English families and students in the after-school program.
Antiracist professional development	School counselors and school administrators utilized the antiracist professional development curriculum (Dennis et al., 2022) to promote faculty reflection on educator positionalities, provide skills to enable educators to address oppressive practices, and encourage reflexive praxis and culturally affirming behaviors; the school counselor–school administrator team then partnered with faculty from the local university to facilitate professional development about developing and implementing culturally affirming pedagogy.

The Sankofa Middle School administrators and school counselors began by engaging in reflection to assess team effectiveness, including discussion of how personal values and biases may have impacted previous action steps and decision making during the prior school year. Next, they reviewed data reports and surveys and created measurable goals focused on addressing inequities. During the data analysis process, the school counselor–school administrator team noted significant disparities in the placement of students in advanced classes, faculty representation, and stakeholder engagement.

The school administrators and school counselors discussed how current policies and assessment practices could have contributed to the underrepresentation of Black and Hispanic/Latino students in advanced classes and how they could rectify these issues. They also considered intentional practices the school counselors could implement to better inform Black and Hispanic/Latino students and their families about the option to enroll in advanced classes. They identified diverse educator organizations for school administrators to post faculty vacancy announcements and sent personal invitations to counselor-generated lists of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and other minority-serving institutions.

The school counselor–school administrator team then utilized the ASCA Awareness Dates Calendar and diverse stakeholder input as planning tools for school-wide cultural appreciation activities. Next, they created a more diverse advisory council with representatives from the student body, parents/guardians, faculty, and community. One critical piece of feedback from the advisory council concerned the practice of sending out information in English only. Tapping into their social capital, the school counselors and school administrators solicited additional resources to increase support for First Language Not English families. The committee also noted that student turnout for after-school tutoring was low and lack of transportation was a critical contributor. As a result, the school counselor–school administrator team applied for grant funding to support extended bus transportation.

The school counselor–school administrator team selected and integrated the Antiracist Professional Development curriculum developed by Dennis et al. (2022) to promote ongoing faculty reflection on educator positionalities, provide skills to enable educators to address oppressive practices, and encourage reflexive praxis and culturally affirming behaviors. The team also partnered with faculty from the local university to facilitate training about developing and implementing culturally affirming pedagogy.

Implications

School counselors and school administrators must redefine school leadership and leadership practices because educators are increasingly inundated with policies and legislation mandating accountability for educational outcomes. This is a tough job to do alone, and we recognize leadership in schools as quite complex and nuanced. Therefore, a holistic view of leadership is needed to promote educational equity and address social justice issues.

Challenging long-held views about leadership can be difficult; therefore, integration of a new approach to leadership should be a strategic process. School counselors and school administrators could start the implementation process by laying a collaborative foundation with shared educational opportunities. For example, attending conferences as a unit and seeking out sessions focused on collaborative leadership and inclusive school cultures could be beneficial.

Educator preparation programs have the unique opportunity to proactively equip future school counselors and school administrators as collaborative, culturally affirming social justice leaders. To address shared leadership practices, school counselor education faculty could explicitly teach school counseling leadership models. Faculty could also provide opportunities for school counselors in training to collaborate with educational leadership trainees (i.e., preservice school administrators) throughout their training program for all parties to gain an understanding of each other’s roles and responsibilities. Trainees may also engage in experiential exercises that provide practice with collaborative leadership, such as evaluating mock school data, developing a shared vision and mission statement, and creating a professional development proposal.

To prepare school counselor and school administrator trainees for culturally affirming leadership practices, educator preparation programs could: (a) survey and diversify course materials, (b) prioritize inviting scholars and practitioners of color as guest speakers, (c) engage students in dialog about how traditional theories center whiteness, and (d) teach culturally responsive theories. Programs must explore methods for infusing real-world training that creates spaces for critical inquiry into social justice issues. Programs could also offer brown-bag sessions, lunch-and-learns, antiracist book studies, or other events led by faculty or students as spaces to explore and further understand culturally affirming leadership. The promotion of affinity groups may foster a sense of community, support, and growth for students who have been historically marginalized.

Conclusion and Recommendations

Dahir et al. (2010) declared, “collaboration is no longer an option” (p. 301). The CASL framework was developed with this concept in mind because effective collaboration between school counselors and school administrators is assumptive. The CASL framework is a focused approach to shared leadership and is designed for teams of school counselors and school administrators to apply within the P–12 setting. Furthermore, school counselors and school administrators are urged to challenge traditional leadership approaches, utilize social capital, and actively work to enhance outcomes for students who are marginalized. Educator preparation programs may also find the implications of this framework beneficial as they train future leaders for the field.

Although the CASL framework provides considerations for shared leadership and implications for training programs, future research could focus on the impact of this applied model on shared leadership practices, stakeholder engagement, and student outcomes. Other areas of focus for future research include the practical use of this model in training programs and the impact on preparedness of trainees to engage in culturally affirming, shared leadership practices.

Footnotes

Declaration of Conflicting Interests

The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Funding

The author(s) received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Author Biographies

Eva M. Gibson, Ed.D, is an assistant professor in the Department of Psychological Sciences and Counseling at Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, TN. Email: gibsone@apsu.edu

James M. Thompson, I, PhD, is associate dean of assessment and equity in the Eriksson College of Education at Austin Peay State University.

Mariama I. Cook Sandifer, PhD, is an assistant professor with the School of Counseling and Special Education at Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, OH.

Sarah N. Brant-Rajahn, PhD, is an assistant professor with the graduate program in counseling at Messiah University in Mechanicsburg, PA.

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