School leaders, second only to classroom teachers, are catalysts for student success (Leithwood et al. 2006; Bush 2018). However, many school leaders around the world have not been professionally prepared for this role, making them ill-equipped to address both the daily and the strategic dilemmas they face (Bush 2018; Magno 2013) which range from reducing drop-out rates to protecting schools from military occupation (UNESCO 2016; Global Coalition to Protect Education from Attack 2018). One way to address this gap in preparation is to provide case study training material via an open access virtual learning platform such as the one showcased in this article: the Comparative Educational Leadership Lab, or the CELL (www.compedleadershiplab. com). The authors contend that the CELL functions as a promising practice for those in the fields of intercultural, international and comparative education as well as educational leadership.