Principal leadership for students with disabilities in effective inclusive schools

Abstract

PurposeCreating inclusive schools for students with disabilities is a major leadership responsibility for principals throughout the world. Each national, regional and local context is different, but every principal can help create and support inclusive schools. The purpose of this article is to describe the evolving context of inclusive education and school leadership in the United States aligning what is known to an established leadership framework (Hitt and Tucker, 2016), as there are similarities between the Hitt and Tucker domains and the work of leaders in inclusive schools. The authors emphasize that inclusive leadership is consistent with existing conceptualizations of principals' work. The authors consider specific policies and organizational conditions that support inclusive schools and highlight successes and continuing challenges for principals that can be applied throughout the world.Design/methodology/approachThis paper utilizes an exploratory approach to review the US policy-related and empirical literature on school leadership for effective inclusive schools. The authors draw across time from research syntheses in school and inclusive leadership from leading journals in educational leadership, special education and edited volumes focused on school leadership. The authors analyze common themes centered on leadership practice, organizational and social conditions and challenges.FindingsThe research review identified effective leadership practices that support inclusive education in the United States and provides a critical discussion of how these findings relate to international research and practice.Practical implicationsThe paper considers the relevance of national policy contexts coupled with a review of school leadership for inclusive schools that is insightful for policymakers and practitioners seeking to create more inclusive schools throughout the world.Originality/valueThe paper offers a situated review of leadership for inclusive schools in the United States. As such, this review lays the foundation for a comparative and international conversation on school leadership for inclusion.

Inclusive Leadership From the Family Perspective in Compulsory Education

“…The significant differences found as a function of the type of school were very similar to those shown for the family members over sixty years of age, with reference to the studies by Quiroga and Aravena (2018), Sotomayor et al (2020) and Dematthews et al (2020). These differences showed, among other aspects, that the management teams of charter schools were more committed than their state counterparts to promoting the following: actions to counteract the negative influence that a family situation might have on student success; a shared outlook (on organization, goals and activities so they can participate in a common educational project); establishing punishments for the use of symbols and actions that encourage exclusion; and student participation in the school's governing bodies.…”

“…Another concern of this age group is the need to create a school climate in which all students are recognized, cared for and valued, creating equal opportunities. This need is also stressed by authors such as Quiroga and Aravena (2018) and Dematthews, Billingsley, Mcleskey, and Sharma (2020), whereby all the members of the education community genuinely participate in decision-making, for example on the promotion of actions for welcoming all students and for genuine participation in the school's governing bodies.…”

“…However, the youngest family members, under the age of 30, highlighted the promotion of activities that foster the sharing of knowledge between the families and other members of the school. They focused on aspects such as the participation of different members of the educational community in the assessment of the work of the administration (Óskarsdóttir et al, 2020) and mobilising resources to guarantee equal opportunity in order to promote inclusion (Dematthews et al, 2020;Quiroga & Aravena, 2018).…”

Inclusive Leadership: Good Managerial Practices to Address Cultural Diversity in Schools

“…The research takes pains to emphasise the role of leaders as essential and fully involved in promoting, designing, and implementing inclusive practices in schools (DeMatthews, Billingsley, et al, 2020;DeMatthews, Serafini, & Watson, 2020;León, 2012;León et al, 2018;Ryan, 2016;Valdés, 2018;Valdés & Gómez-Hurtado, 2019;Yildirim, 2021). The leadership exercised by the management team in relation to diversity management has a fundamental role to play (Ainscow & West, 2006;Booth & Ainscow, 2015;Fernández-Batanero & Hernández-Fernández, 2013;Fernández-Batanero et al, 2014;Leithwood, 2005;León, 2012).…”

Undoing systems of exclusion: exploring inclusive leadership and systems thinking in two inclusive elementary schools

“…The theoretical framework: inclusive and systems thinking school leadership Research on leadership for effective inclusive schools focuses on a principal's background and shared efforts in (1) fostering a school culture that values inclusion and student, family, teacher, staff and community voices; (2) recognizing and cultivating teacher leadership and shared decision-making; (3) building teacher and staff capacity through ongoing professional development and inquiry; (4) (re)developing and maintaining authentic relationships with families, communities and district leaders; (5) locating and flexibly and efficiently utilizing resources (Billingsley et al, 2018;DeMatthews et al, 2020a). Cultivating an inclusive culture is often reported as a first or foundational step, which includes using data and observations to highlight inequities confronted by SWDs (Carter and Abawi, 2018;DeMatthews and Mawhinney, 2014;Mayrowetz and Weinstein, 1999).…”