Dissertation

Creating inclusive schools by empowering school leaders

The needs of students with disabilities continue to go unmet in our current educational system, despite legislation designed to integrate them into the system and Supreme Court rulings mandating the provision of appropriate learning programs for these students (Boroson, 2017). To address these unmet needs and fully integrate students with disabilities, educational leaders must step forward to effect a shift in our schools. Research has demonstrated that school site administrators drive school culture and educational programs, and that segregation of students based on ability does not improve educational outcomes (Reeves, 2009; Tefler & Howley, 2017). Rather, inclusion, access to quality learning, and community environments that support every student's right to an education regardless of ability provide the most appropriate foundation to support both students in special education and students in general (Tefler & Howley, 2017). School site administrators must be part of the solution to this problem (Ganon-Shilon & Schechter, 2017). Developing competencies that yield improved educational outcomes for students requires research that focuses on administrators as they design and lead inclusive schools (Tefler & Howley, 2017). The findings of such research can provide administrators with the tools they need to make critical changes in our schools. The school site administrator's capacity to implement inclusive practices is essential to improving educational outcomes for students with disabilities. Therefore, this study will employ the conceptual frameworks of sensemaking and leadership coherence to determine which competencies site administrators need to further develop to design inclusive educational settings (Villa & Thousand, 2016). This study approaches the problem through a constructivist lens to identify the needs of the professionals charged with improving the culture of service to and educational outcomes for students with disabilities. The study highlights the need to provide professional development and support for site administrators charged with increasing inclusion in schools and provides recommendations for achieving this goal.

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