International partnerships, collaborative learning, and interactive communications technology: using a Global Forum on School Leadership to enhance the preparation of school leaders

Challenging tomorrow´s school leaders to develop deep understanding and respect for alternative conceptions and responses to everyday leadership issues is a major undertaking. Incorporating layers of deep reflection in exchange for surface learning approaches to common practices and everyday events in the life of school leaders amounts to a challenge against the status quo of leadership tradition. This paper presents a description of the rationale and developmental stages of the Global Forum on School Leadership. Conceived as an extension to the existing reflective and dialogic practices of a pre-service leader preparation program in the mid-west of the United States, the forum attempts to incorporate die perspectives of global colleagues on issues related to everyday practices and school leadership conundrums in a mediated, asynchronous, web-based discussion format. This project adds a needed global orientation to leadership preparation in a post September 11th international context.