Rethinking School Principals' Leadership Practices for an Effective and Inclusive Education

Abstract

School leadership plays a central role in creating an inclusive learning environment that provides opportunities for students with disabilities to thrive. This chapter will shed light on the historical background of schools as they shifted to embrace inclusion and outline the key challenges that impeded school leadership from reaching full-bodied inclusive schools. To that end, this chapter will include an overview derived from the literature regarding the most imperative leadership practices that principals need to possess in order to facilitate the inclusion of students with disabilities into mainstream education: (1) demonstrating basic knowledge of special education, (2) building collaborative structures and processes to work together with students' interests at heart, and (3) embodying positive attitudes and beliefs toward special education. At the end of the chapter, the authors will provide key lessons, recommendations, and possible implications for improving leadership preparation.