Leadership preparation is at a crossroads so that decisions taken now will have a lasting impact. One path is to continue education of managers who will develop skills to preserve the status quo. The other is to move toward transformative practices, address global issues, and adapt to a digital world that is becoming more diverse. Transformative leadership (Shields, 2017) and practices based on equity (Llorent-Bedmar, Cobano-Delgado & Navarro-Granados, 2019) are appropriate responses from school leaders and teachers to achieve an education that respects the rights of students. Leadership is presented as a practice full of challenges in the coming years. In a constantly changing world focused on the digital age (Navalpotro, 2023), globalization and diversity, school directors must be agile and have the ability to learn as priorities. Educational leadership preparation has acquired a fundamental role in defining future educational objectives, highlighting the skills and values necessary to face a society in constant evolution. Additionally, school leaders are expected to place inclusion and social justice at the center of their professional practices (Slater, Antúnez, Silva, 2021; Silva, Antúnez, Slater, 2022), promoting an environment where the voices of all stakeholders of the educational community are heard, and where sustainability and social responsibility are essential topics, along with the well-being of people and the preservation of the planet. These challenges require school leaders to develop increasingly specific competencies and maintain an open mind to address them. (Slater, Antúnez, Silva, 2021). The paper describes, analyzes, and interprets the professional practices of managers that focus attention on leadership preparation for the cultural and linguistic rights of students, as well as social justice and inclusion. Qualitative data provided by families, teachers and directors who work in highly complex schools in Catalonia are used. Preparation includes best practices of educational leaders, the organizational and didactic strategies implemented to serve students and their families in situations of vulnerability The role of directors and obstacles that they confront are identified to move towards an increasingly inclusive school. In line with Santos-Rego (2014) and Martínez, Fernández and de La Peña (2016), the importance of reviewing and using alternative, particular, and varied organizational models is highlighted to serve children and their families more efficiently.

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