The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (2004) ensures the meaningful participation of all parents during the construction of the Individual Education Program (IEP) for students with special needs. Factors of globalization have exacerbated this collaborative process between special education teachers and parents of students with special needs. The purpose of the current study was to determine if there was a relationship between the special education teacher's teacher leadership skills and their level of cultural intelligence, as both of these skills are necessary for effective collaboration and communication with culturally and linguistically diverse families. The current study surveyed 94 special education teachers in two North Texas Independent School Districts. Instruments for the current study included the Teacher's Perception of Teacher Leadership Survey and the Cultural Intelligence Scale. Findings for the current study confirmed significant positive correlations between special education teachers' teacher leadership scores and special education teachers' cultural intelligence scores. In addition, the current study also confirmed the predictive ability of special education teacher leadership scores on their cultural intelligence scores, as well as the predictive ability of special education teachers' cultural intelligence scores on their teacher leadership scores. The current study filled a gap in the literature for both teacher leadership and cultural intelligence, as there were no studies that explored the cultural intelligence of special education teacher leaders. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]