Educational Leadership in Mexico, Spain, and the United States: Cross-Cultural Implications

Abstract

Leadership is important in schools to promote student achievement and well-being. This paper undertakes a review of the literature that suggests that a school principal can make a difference by having an impact on the intervening variables, in particular in enhancing teacher motivation. The cultural differences between Mexico, Spain, and the United States are examined and related to leadership practices. Each country could benefit from examining the practices of the other and from adopting ways of proceeding that might modify or run counter to their prevailing cultural norms. A unifying approach that might be applied in all three countries is centered on the practices of transformational leadership