UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Stronger communication practices may help school leaders navigate increasingly complex, politicized environments, according to a new book co-edited by Gerald LeTendre, Harry L. Batschelet Professor of Educational Administration at Penn State, and Penn State College of Education alumnus Anthony Ogden, director of international programs and graduate education at Penn State Dickinson Law.
The book, “Preparing Students for a Global World: Intercultural and Intersectional Competencies in Education,” is a collection of chapters from scholars and practitioners across K-12 and higher education that examine how intercultural and intersectional competencies can support communication, leadership and conflict navigation in educational settings. The work is part of the Batschelet Conference’s Intercultural Competence Initiative, an ongoing conference series led by the College of Education that brings together educators and researchers to examine communication and cultural understanding in education. In addition to the book, the initiative has produced an open-access resource hub offering tools and materials for educators and administrators.
LeTendre, who contributed a chapter on miscommunications during school board meetings, said the goal of the book is to provide practical guidance for educators navigating increasingly complex environments.
“We wanted this book to be for practitioners,” he said. “If leaders can communicate more effectively and better manage conflict, they can keep the focus where it belongs — on supporting students and fulfilling the mission of their schools.”
In a Q&A, LeTendre discussed the book’s origins, key themes and the practical implications for school leaders.
Q: This volume grew out of the Batschelet Conference. What conversations or challenges prompted this collection?
LeTendre: At the conference, it became clear that across education — K-12, higher education and vocational education — educators were increasingly dealing with restrictions or criticism related to the materials they use and the topics they discuss in classrooms. There was growing concern around issues like critical race theory and diversity, equity and inclusion, and we’ve since seen that continue with laws restricting certain topics. We wanted to think about how educational leaders can continue to have open dialogue about important issues at a time when those issues have become highly politicized.
The resource hub — which also grew from the Batschelet Conference — provides open access to conference materials, including presentations, tools and professional development resources. While the book offers deeper analysis, the website makes it easier for educators and policymakers to apply these ideas in practice.
Q: What central themes about educational leadership emerge across the book?
LeTendre: One of the key ideas is that intercultural communicative competence can be a real asset for school leaders. Communication is more than just using the right words — it requires understanding culture, including your own values and how you express them at the school, district and community level. This kind of competence has long been recognized in fields like international business and communication, and we wanted to help educators think practically about how it can support leadership, especially in times when discussions can become polarized very quickly.
Q: In your own chapter, what issue do you address?
LeTendre: I focus on the highly contentious school board meetings we’ve been seeing across the United States. These often involve intense conflict around a single issue, which can take up a lot of time and energy. My argument is that, in many ways, we’re dealing with different cultures within our own communities. Even if people share a language or location, they may have very different values and worldviews, and leaders need to understand that to respond effectively.
Traditionally, school leadership has focused on managing disagreement around specific issues. What I suggest is that we should instead view many of these conflicts as cultural differences. When leaders recognize that, they can better understand where people are coming from and communicate more effectively, rather than getting stuck in surface-level disagreements.
Q: How can these ideas move from theory into practice for school leaders?
LeTendre: Developing intercultural competence starts with self-awareness — understanding your own values and how you communicate them. It also involves skills like active listening and clearly expressing those values. These are tools that principals, superintendents and higher education administrators can use when facing highly politicized situations, helping them refocus conversations on the core mission of education.