摘要

当今，批判思维方式的培养作为素质教育培养的重点为国内外教育界所重视。很多中国家长为了迎合如今社会对学生此方面素质的需求，把孩子送往国外读书，据统计，近几年留学生不仅人数上增长并且年龄呈低龄化趋势。国内教育越来越重视学生思维方式的培养，在批判思维方式改革方兴未艾的浪潮中，研究借鉴国外的理论和经验是必不可少的一个环节。
重视批判思维培养做为美国中小学教育(K-12)的突出特点，在美国教育中占有特殊的地位。对于美国K-12学校批判思维培养做法的研究可以带给国内教育改革一些启示。而在美国K-12 学生批判思维培养的过程中，学校的教育领导起了举足轻重的角色。
本篇论文从教育领导学角度分析了美国K-12教育领导对批判思维培养的影响。首先通过文献界定了批判思维，教育领导以及美国K-12学校批判思维培养这些核心概念，其次以文献分析为主要研究方法从三个对批判思维培养不利的教育领导因素，即自我中心，不易改变，角色理解，进行阐述，并就美国K-12学校的做法提出见解。在本文中对中美教育领导角色的对比也直接提出了对中国领导力角色的启示。本文的结论说明了教育领导与K-12学校批判思维培养的关系，并依据美国K-12学校批判思维培养的经验对中国教育领导的做法提出了建议。
批判思维不管在现今还是长远来看都是教育行业所关心的话题。本文不仅是批判思维和教育领导文献的必要补充，也为进一步的对于教育领导对K-12学校批判思维培养作用的研究提出了建议。

关键词： 批判思维，培养，中小学(K-12)，教育领导，美国 

Abstract

Nowadays, critical thinking, as a crucial part of quality-oriented education is attached great attention by educational field both at home and abroad. To cater to the trend of the era requirement, many Chinese parents send their children abroad for education. It is reported that in recent years there is an increasing number of overseas students and also a trend of declining average age. While our home education has started to pay tremendous attention to the fostering of students’ mode of thinking, in this ascendant tide of critical thinking reformation, the studying and referring of other countries’ theory and experience is of great essence.
It is generally recognized that focusing on critical thinking cultivation is a remarkable feature of American elementary and secondary schools, namely, K-12 education and holds crucial position in American education. Therefore, the studying of the practice of American K-12 schools critical thinking fostering may bring about some implications to our country’s educational reformation. And educational leaders are held accountable about the cultivation of American schools’ critical thinking habit.
This thesis analyzed the influence brought about to critical thinking cultivation by American K-12 school leaders from the perspective of educational leadership. To begin with, this thesis gives definition to the core concepts of critical thinking, educational leadership and American K-12 schools’ critical thinking fostering through literature review; employs the literature analysis as the main studying method and analyses the influence of educational leadership from three critical thinking fostering barriers, namely, egocentrism, resistance to change, infective role identification, and also illustrates the author’s own opinion on American practice. In addition, through the comparison between American and Chinese educational leadership role interpretation, further implication is given for better development of Chinese educational leadership. At last, the result of the thesis indicates a strong relationship between successful leadership and cultivation of critical thinking and gives suggestions based on the study of American practice in K-12 schools’ critical thinking cultivation.
Above all, critical thinking has been a topic of concern in educational field currently and in a long run. The result of the thesis gives a supplement to the literature of critical thinking fostering and educational leadership, and also gives suggestions to further study on critical thinking fostering from the perspective educational leadership.

Key words: critical thinking, cultivation, K-12 school, educational leadership, the United States