Peace Corps Service and the Development of Quality School Leaders

The United States Peace Corps was established by President Kennedy in 1961 to promote world peace and friendship by fulfilling three goals: 1) to help the people of interested countries in meeting their need for trained men and women, 2) to help promote a better understanding of Americans on the part of the peoples served, and 3) to help promote a better understanding of other peoples on the part of Americans. (United States Peace Corps, 2012) Since 1961, The Peace Corps has sent thousands of volunteers to teach in schools around the world. When these volunteers return to America's schools and classrooms, what characteristics of effective school leadership have they developed? When some of these teachers move into administration, what effect does their service have on their leadership of America's increasingly diverse schools? The purpose of this study was to understand how Peace Corps service affects returned Peace Corps Volunteers' leadership practice in x schools and to determine whether these school leaders developed cultural competence, efficacy, and optimism while serving in the Peace Corps. Using a qualitative case study design, four semi-structured interviews were conducted with Returned Peace Corps Volunteers who are current or former school leaders. The findings of this study indicate that cultural competence, efficacy, optimism, credibility, resiliency, and the ability to build relationships were characteristics of effective school leaders that the participants felt were developed or further developed during their Peace Corps service.

Author

• Bordenkecher, John Matthew

• Educational leadership
• Education
• Cultural competence
• Leader efficacy
• Optimism
• Returned Peace Corps Volunteers
• School leaders

Identifier

hdl:1920/11211

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:MARS:1920/11211