The Communication Initiative
Development action with informed and engaged societies
The Communication Initiative
After nearly 28 years, The Communication Initiative (The CI) Global is entering a new chapter. Following a period of transition, the global website has been transferred to the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) in South Africa, where it will be administered by the Social and Behaviour Change Communication Division. Wits' commitment to social change and justice makes it a trusted steward for The CI's legacy and future.
 
Co-founder Victoria Martin is pleased to see this work continue under Wits' leadership. Victoria knows that co-founder Warren Feek (1953–2024) would have felt deep pride in The CI Global's Africa-led direction.
 
We honour the team and partners who sustained The CI for decades. Meanwhile, La Iniciativa de Comunicación (CILA) continues independently at cila.comminitcila.com and is linked with The CI Global site.
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Inclusive Leadership: From Theory to Practice

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Inclusive leaders create strong cultures with systems to respond to unique needs and encourage hidden potential. Inclusive leaders think in terms of each rather than all, and they strive to engage each child and adult. This perspective values individual cultural capital. (Cowart Moss, 2020; DeMatthews, 2018; McLeskey, Waldron, & Redd, 2019). Inclusive leadership requires district and school leaders to be intentional, hypervigilant, and to contextualize their work. These actions must be ongoing. They are not accomplishments, rather they must be a way of leading and seeing the world. (Berry, Cowart Moss & Gore, 2018; Mette, 2019). Leaders can break down barriers or create obstacles. Ironically, leaders may perceive themselves as promoting inclusion while still operating within areas of implicit bias (Arnold, 2019; Theoharis & Causton-Theoharis, 2008; Willey & Magee, 2018). Barriers to inclusion may reside outside of a leader’s direct control. They may be systemic, or they may arise in unforeseen and unpredictable crises, like the COVID-19 pandemic. While our schools continue to face enormous challenges from COVID-19, they also face stress from increasing awareness and reactions to systemic racism and political polarization. History shows collaboration and strong relationships can greatly impact responses to a crisis and the quality of rebuilding efforts after a crisis. (Stern, Cetron, & Markel 2009). It is increasingly important for school leaders to cultivate inclusive approaches, building repertoires of skills to meet the needs of the diverse, marginalized, and unsettled members of their school communities. Leaders must have theoretical and pedagogical tools for assessing their capacities and for reflecting on their progress. They must have access to resources and support for continued growth. The ideal of inclusion is synonymous with belonging and caring, but ideals must be more than talking points. Inclusive leaders can parse out the subtleties that separate more abstract notions of justice and caring (Noddings, 2015) from specific actions that result in inclusive cultures. These leaders bridge the gap between theory and practice. This volume, Inclusive Leadership: From Theory to Practice, seeks to provide a more nuanced view of what it means to be an inclusive leader as it explores current research, practical applications, and personal narratives.