Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-q99xh Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-25T19:37:37.924Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Leadership for Effective Inclusive Schools: Considerations for Preparation and Reform

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 May 2018

Bonnie Billingsley ,
David DeMatthews ,
Kaylan Connally  and
James McLeskey
Bonnie Billingsley*
Affiliation:
Virginia Tech, USA
David DeMatthews
Affiliation:
University of Texas at Austin, USA
Kaylan Connally
Affiliation:
Council of Chief State School Officers, USA
James McLeskey
Affiliation:
University of Florida, USA
*
Correspondence: Bonnie Billingsley, Virginia Tech School of Education, 205 War Memorial Hall, Blacksburg, VA 24061-0313, USA. Email: billingsley@vt.edu
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

School leadership is critical to provide students with disabilities with opportunities to learn in inclusive schools. We summarise research about inclusive leadership, outlining factors that promoted and impeded inclusive schools in the United States. Next, we provide an example of a national collaboration between the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) and the Collaboration for Effective Educator Development, Accountability, and Reform (CEEDAR) Center that linked the Professional Standards for Educational Leaders (PSEL; National Policy Board for Educational Administration, 2015) to a supplemental guidance document, titled PSEL 2015 and Promoting Principal Leadership for the Success of Students With Disabilities. The latter illustrates what effective inclusive school leadership means for each of the 10 PSEL standards, and provides recommendations for improving leadership preparation and policy, including licensure. We also consider possible implications of this work for those in other countries, emphasising the need for widely understood and shared leadership practices and the need to link such practices to initial and ongoing leadership development.

Keywords

inclusiveleadersprincipalstandardspreparationdisabilities
Type
Original Articles
Information
Australasian Journal of Special and Inclusive Education , Volume 42 , Special Issue 1: Preparing Special and Inclusive Educators for Their New Roles in the 21st Century , July 2018 , pp. 65 - 81
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s) 2018 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Footnotes

*This manuscript was accepted under the Editorship of Umesh Sharma.

References

Ainscow, M. (2005). Understanding the development of inclusive education system. Electronic Journal of Research in Educational Psychology, 3 (3), 5–20.Google Scholar
Ainscow, M., & Sandill, A. (2010). Developing inclusive education systems: The role of organisational cultures and leadership. International Journal of Inclusive Education, 14, 401–416. doi:10.1080/13603110802504903Google Scholar
Almazan, S. (2009). Inclusive education and implications for policy: The state of the art and the promise. Retrieved from https://tash.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Inclusive-Education-and-Implications-for-Policy-1.pdfGoogle Scholar
Angelle, P., & Bilton, L. M. (2009). Confronting the unknown: Principal preparation training in issues related to special education. AASA Journal of Scholarship & Practice, 5 (4), 5–9.Google Scholar
Artiles, A. (2003). Special education's changing identity: Paradoxes and dilemmas in views of culture and space. Harvard Educational Review, 73, 164–202. doi:10.17763/haer.73.2.j78t573x377j7106CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Banks, J. (2014). Barriers and supports to postsecondary transition: Case studies of African American students with disabilities. Remedial and Special Education, 35, 28–39. doi:10.1177/0741932513512209Google Scholar
Billingsley, B. (2012). Inclusive school reform: Distributed leadership across the change process. In Crockett, J. B., Billingsley, B. S., & Boscardin, M. L. (Eds.), Handbook of leadership and administration for special education (pp. 170–190). New York, NY: Routledge.Google Scholar
Billingsley, B. S., & McLeskey, J. (2014). What are the roles of principals in inclusive schools? In McLeskey, J., Waldron, N. L., Spooner, F., & Algozzine, B. (Eds.), Handbook of effective inclusive schools: Research and practice (pp. 67–79). New York, NY: Routledge.Google Scholar
Billingsley, B., McLeskey, J., & Crockett, C. (in press). Conceptualizing principal leadership for effective inclusive schools. In Crockett, J. B., Billingsley, B. S., & Boscardin, M. L. (Eds.), Handbook of leadership and administration for special education (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Routledge.Google Scholar
Boscardin, M. L., McCarthy, E., & Delgado, R. (2009). An integrated research-based approach to creating standards for special education leadership. Journal of Special Education Leadership, 22 (2), 68–84.Google Scholar
Brunsting, N. C., Sreckovic, M. A., & Lane, K. L. (2014). Special education teacher burnout: A synthesis of research from 1979 to 2013. Education and Treatment of Children, 37, 681–711. doi:10.1353/etc.2014.0032Google Scholar
Burstein, N., Sears, S., Wilcoxen, A., Cabello, B., & Spagna, M. (2004). Moving toward inclusive practices. Remedial and Special Education, 25, 104–116. doi:10.1177/07419325040250020501CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cameron, D. L., & Cook, B. G. (2013). General education teachers’ goals and expectations for their included students with mild and severe disabilities. Education and Training in Autism and Developmental Disabilities, 48 (1), 18–30.Google Scholar
Causton, J., & Theoharis, G. (2014). The principal's handbook for leading inclusive schools. Baltimore, MD: Brookes.Google Scholar
Causton-Theoharis, J., Theoharis, G., Bull, T., Cosier, M., & Dempf-Aldrich, K. (2011). Schools of promise: A school district–university partnership centered on inclusive school reform. Remedial and Special Education, 32, 192–205. doi:10.1177/0741932510366163Google Scholar
Conley, S., & You, S. (2017). Key influences on special education teachers’ intentions to leave: The effects of administrative support and teacher team efficacy in a mediational model. Educational Management Administration & Leadership, 45, 521–540. doi:10.1177/1741143215608859Google Scholar
Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO). (2008). Educational leadership and policy standards: ISLLC 2008. Washington, DC: Author.Google Scholar
Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO). (2012). Our responsibility, our promise: Transforming educator preparation and entry into the profession. Washington, DC: Author.Google Scholar
Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) and Collaboration for Effective Educator Development, Accountability, and Reform Center (CEEDAR). (2015). Promises to keep: Transforming educator preparation to better serve a diverse range of learners. Washington, DC: Author.Google Scholar
Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) and Collaboration for Effective Educator Development, Accountability, and Reform Center (CEEDAR). (2017). PSEL 2015 and promoting principal leadership for the success of students with disabilities. https://www.ccsso.org/sites/default/files/2017-10/PSELforSWDs01252017_0.pdfGoogle Scholar
Crockett, J. B., Becker, M. K., & Quinn, D. (2009). Reviewing the knowledge base of special education leadership and administration from 1970–2009. Journal of Special Education Leadership, 22, 55–67.Google Scholar
Crouch, R., Keys, C. B., & McMahon, S. D. (2014). Student–teacher relationships matter for school inclusion: School belonging, disability, and school transitions. Journal of Prevention & Intervention in the Community, 42, 20–30. doi:10.1080/10852352.2014.855054CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Cumming, J. J., & Dickson, E. (2013). Educational accountability tests, social and legal inclusion approaches to discrimination for students with disability: A national case study from Australia. Assessment in Education: Principles, Policy & Practice, 20, 221–239. doi:10.1080/0969594X.2012.730499Google Scholar
Cusson, M. M. (2010). Empirically based components related to students with disabilities in tier I research institution's educational administration preparation programs (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). University of Texas at Austin.Google Scholar
Darling-Hammond, L., LaPointe, M., Meyerson, D., Orr, M. T., & Cohen, C. (2007). Preparing school leaders for a changing world: Lessons from exemplary leadership development programs. Stanford, CA: Stanford University, Stanford Educational Leadership Institute.Google Scholar
DeMatthews, D. (2015). Making sense of social justice leadership: A case study of a principal's experiences to create a more inclusive school. Leadership and Policy in Schools, 14, 139–166. doi:10.1080/15700763.2014.997939Google Scholar
DeMatthews, D. E., & Mawhinney, H. (2013). Addressing the inclusion imperative: An urban school district's responses. Education Policy Analysis Archives, 21 (61), 1–30. doi:10.14507/epaa.v21n61.2013CrossRefGoogle Scholar
DeMatthews, D., & Mawhinney, H. (2014). Social justice leadership and inclusion: Exploring challenges in an urban district struggling to address inequities. Educational Administration Quarterly, 50, 844–881. doi:10.1177/0013161X13514440Google Scholar
Dyson, A. (2010). Developing inclusive schools: Three perspectives from England. The German School, 102, 115–129.Google Scholar
Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015, Pub. L. No. 114–95, U.S. Code § 6301 et seq. (2015).Google Scholar
Fisher, D., Sax, C., & Grove, K. A. (2000). The resilience of changes promoting inclusiveness in an urban elementary school. The Elementary School Journal, 100, 213–227. doi:10.1086/499640Google Scholar
Guzmán, N. (1997). Leadership for successful inclusive schools: A study of principal behaviours. Journal of Educational Administration, 35, 439–450. doi:10.1108/09578239710184583Google Scholar
Harry, B., & Klingner, J. (2014). Why are so many minority students in special education? Understanding race and disability in school (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Teachers College Press.Google Scholar
Hayes, A. M., & Bulat, J. (2017). Disabilities inclusive education systems and policies guide for low- and middle-income countries (RTI Press Publication No. OP-0043-1707). Research Triangle Park, NC: RTI Press. doi:10.3768/rtipress.2017.op.0043.1707Google Scholar
Hess, F. M., & Kelly, A. P. (2007). Learning to lead: What gets taught in principal-preparation programs. Teachers College Record, 109, 244–274.Google Scholar
Hoppey, D., & McLeskey, J. (2013). A case study of principal leadership in an effective inclusive school. The Journal of Special Education, 46, 245–256. doi:10.1177/0022466910390507Google Scholar
Janney, R. E., Snell, M. E., Beers, M. K., & Raynes, M. (1995). Integrating students with moderate and severe disabilities into general education classes. Exceptional Children, 61, 425–439. doi:10.1177/001440299506100503Google Scholar
Karanxha, Z., Agosto, V., & Bellara, A. P. (2014). The hidden curriculum: Candidate diversity in educational leadership preparation. Journal of Research on Leadership Education, 9, 34–58. doi:10.1177/1942775113498374Google Scholar
Kilgore, K., Griffin, C. C., Sindelar, P. T., & Webb, R. B. (2001). Restructuring for inclusion: A story of middle school renewal (Part I). Middle School Journal, 33 (2), 44–51. doi:10.1080/00940771.2001.11494663Google Scholar
Lashley, C. (2007). Principal leadership for special education: An ethical framework. Exceptionality, 15, 177–187. doi:10.1080/09362830701503511Google Scholar
Leithwood, K., Harris, A., & Hopkins, D. (2008). Seven strong claims about successful school leadership. School Leadership & Management, 28, 27–42. doi:10.1080/13632430701800060Google Scholar
Loreman, T., Forlin, C. Chambers, D., Sharma, U., & Deppeler, J. (2014). Conceptualising and measuring inclusive education. In Forlin, C. (Series Ed.), International Perspectives on Inclusive Education: Vol. 3. Measuring inclusive education (pp. 3–18). Bingley, UK: Emerald Group. doi:10.1108/S1479-363620140000003015Google Scholar
MacFarlane, K., & Woolfson, L. M. (2013). Teacher attitudes and behavior toward the inclusion of children with social, emotional and behavioral difficulties in mainstream schools: An application of the theory of planned behavior. Teaching and Teacher Education, 29, 46–52. doi:10.1016/j.tate.2012.08.006Google Scholar
Mayrowetz, D., & Weinstein, C. S. (1999). Sources of leadership for inclusive education: Creating schools for all children. Educational Administration Quarterly, 35, 423–449. doi:10.1177/00131619921968626Google Scholar
McHatton, P. A., Boyer, N. R., Shaunessy, E., Terry, P. M., & Farmer, J. L. (2010). Principals’ perceptions of preparation and practice in gifted and special education content: Are we doing enough? Journal of Research on Leadership Education, 5, 1–22. doi:10.1177/194277511000500101Google Scholar
McLeskey, J., Waldron, N. L., & Redd, L. (2014). A case study of a highly effective, inclusive elementary school. The Journal of Special Education, 48, 59–70. doi:10.1177/0022466912440455Google Scholar
McLeskey, J., Waldron, N. L., Spooner, F., & Algozzine, B. (2014). What are effective inclusive schools and why are they important? In McLeskey, J., Waldron, N. L., Spooner, F., & Algozzine, B. (Eds.), Handbook of effective inclusive schools: Research and practice (pp. 3–16). New York, NY: Routledge. doi:10.4324/9780203102930.ch1Google Scholar
National Policy Board for Educational Administration. (2015). Professional standards for educational leaders. Reston, VA: Author.Google Scholar
National Policy Board for Educational Administration. (2018). NELP. Reston, VA: Author. Retrieved from http://npbea.org/nelp/Google Scholar
Pierson, M. R., & Howell, E. J. (2013). Two high schools and the road to full inclusion: A comparison study. Improving Schools, 16, 223–231. doi:10.1177/1365480213501063Google Scholar
Pivik, J., McComas, J., & Laflamme, M. (2002). Barriers and facilitators to inclusive education. Exceptional Children, 69, 97–107. doi:10.1177/001440290206900107Google Scholar
Powell, P. R. (2010). An exploratory study of the presentation of special education law in administrative preparation programs for aspiring administrators (Doctoral dissertation). Retrieved from Dissertation Abstracts International (Order No. AAI3390580).Google Scholar
Purcell, M. L., Horn, E., & Palmer, S. (2007). A qualitative study of the initiation and continuation of preschool inclusion programs. Exceptional Children, 74, 85–99. doi:10.1177/001440290707400105Google Scholar
Rice, N. (2006). Opportunities lost, possibilities found: Shared leadership and inclusion in an urban high school. Journal of Disability Policy Studies, 17, 88–100. doi:10.1177/10442073060170020501Google Scholar
Rouse, M., & Florian, L. (1996). Effective inclusive schools: A study in two countries. Cambridge Journal of Education, 26, 71–85. doi:10.1080/0305764960260106Google Scholar
Runswick-Cole, K. (2011). Time to end the bias towards inclusive education? British Journal of Special Education, 38, 112–119. doi:10.1111/j.1467-8578.2011.00514.xGoogle Scholar
Ryan, J. (2006). Inclusive leadership. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.Google Scholar
Ryndak, D. L., Reardon, R., Benner, S. R., & Ward, T. (2007). Transitioning to and sustaining district-wide inclusive services: A 7-year study of a district's ongoing journey and its accompanying complexities. Research and Practice for Persons with Severe Disabilities, 32, 228–246. doi:10.2511/rpsd.32.4.228Google Scholar
Salisbury, C. L. (2006). Principals’ perspectives on inclusive elementary schools. Research and Practice for Persons with Severe Disabilities, 31, 70–82. doi:10.2511/rpsd.31.1.70Google Scholar
Salisbury, C. L., & McGregor, G. (2002). The administrative climate and context of inclusive elementary schools. Exceptional Children, 68, 259–274. doi:10.1177/001440290206800207Google Scholar
Scruggs, T. E., & Mastropieri, M. A. (1996). Teacher perceptions of mainstreaming/inclusion, 1958–1995: A research synthesis. Exceptional Children, 63, 59–74. doi:10.1177/001440299606300106Google Scholar
Sharma, U., Forlin, C., Loreman, T., & Earle, C. (2006). Pre-service teachers’ attitudes, concerns and sentiments about inclusive education: An international comparison of novice pre-service teachers. International Journal of Special Education, 21 (2), 80–93.Google Scholar
Shogren, K. A., McCart, A. B., Lyon, K. J., & Sailor, W. S. (2015). All means all: Building knowledge for inclusive schoolwide transformation. Research and Practice for Persons with Severe Disabilities, 40, 173–191. doi:10.1177/1540796915586191CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sindelar, P. T., Shearer, D. K., Yendol-Hoppey, D., & Liebert, T. W. (2006). The sustainability of inclusive school reform. Exceptional Children, 72, 317–331. doi:10.1177/001440290607200304Google Scholar
Center, SWIFT. (2017). What is equity-based inclusive education? SWIFT Family & Community Newsletter, 2017 (1). Retrieved from http://myemail.constantcontact.com/SWIFT-s-Family-Community-Feature-Issue-1.html?soid=1125766933832&aid=S2auLMEjTOsGoogle Scholar
Theoharis, G. (2007). Social justice educational leaders and resistance: Toward a theory of social justice leadership. Educational Administration Quarterly, 43, 221–258. doi:10.1177/0013161X06293717Google Scholar
UNESCO. (1994). Salamanca statement and framework for action on special educational needs. Paris, France: Author.Google Scholar
United Nations Division for Social Policy and Development. (2006). Convention on the rights of persons with disabilities (CRPD). Retrieved from https://www.un.org/development/desa/disabilities/convention-on-the-rights-of-persons-with-disabilities.htmlGoogle Scholar
U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, and Office of Special Education Programs. (2016). 38th annual report to Congress on the implementation of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, 2016. Retrieved from https://www2.ed.gov/about/reports/annual/osep/2016/parts-b-c/38th-arc-for-idea.pdfGoogle Scholar
Valesky, T. C., & Hirth, M. A. (1992). Survey of the states: Special education knowledge requirements for school administrators. Exceptional Children, 58, 399–406. doi:10.1177/001440299205800504Google Scholar
Waldron, N. L., McLeskey, J., & Redd, L. (2011). Setting the direction: The role of the principal in developing an effective, inclusive school. Journal of Special Education Leadership, 24, 51–60.Google Scholar
Young, M. D., & Rorrer, A. K. (2012). Promoting the utilization of educational leadership research in preparation, practice, and policy. Journal of Research on Leadership Education, 7, 195–216. doi:10.1177/1942775112455371Google Scholar