Making schools inclusive? Educational leaders' views on how to work with children in need of special support

Educational leaders have a comprehensive responsibility for how preschools and schools work with children in need of special educational support. The aim of this research is to study how educational leaders (a) explain why children have problems in schools, (b) consider how preschools/schools should help children in need of special support and (c) the role they believe that Special Educational Needs Coordinators (SENCOs) should have in such work. Educational leaders (N = 45) working in preschools and regular compulsory schools in a Swedish municipality responded (100%) to a questionnaire. According to the results of this study, this group seems to view difficulties in schools as being caused primarily by individual shortcomings. Educational leaders often advocate solutions that are closely linked to the work of special educators. The educational leaders believe SENCOs should work with supervising staff and focus on documentation and evaluations. Preschool leaders attribute children's need of special support to teachers more often than their colleagues in compulsory schools.

[1]  Mary Collins,et al.  Index for inclusion: developing learning and participation in schools , 2012 .

[2]  C. Nilholm,et al.  Inclusive education in Sweden? A critical analysis , 2011 .

[3]  C. Nilholm,et al.  Different agendas? The views of different occupational groups on special needs education , 2011 .

[4]  E. Mattson,et al.  Inclusive and exclusive education in Sweden: principals' opinions and experiences , 2009 .

[5]  K. Diamond,et al.  Early Childhood Teachers' Ideas about Including Children with Disabilities in Programmes Designed for Typically Developing Children , 2009 .

[6]  B. Persson.  On other people’s terms: schools’ encounters with disabled students , 2008 .

[7]  A. Loxley,et al.  A time of transition: exploring special educational provision in the Republic of Ireland , 2008 .

[8]  Simone Devore,et al.  Early Childhood Education and Care for Children with Disabilities: Facilitating Inclusive Practice* , 2007 .

[9]  G. Hutcheson,et al.  Inclusion and achievement in mainstream schools , 2007 .

[10]  O. Johansson,et al.  A perspective on diversity, equality and equity in Swedish schools , 2007 .

[11]  C. Nilholm.  Special education, inclusion and democracy , 2006 .

[12]  J. Kugelmass,et al.  Leadership for inclusion: a comparison of international practices , 2004 .

[13]  P. Clough,et al.  Inclusion and exclusion in the early years: conversations with European educators , 2004 .

[14]  Mark Vaughan,et al.  An Index for Inclusion , 2002 .

[15]  Nancy L. Waldron,et al.  Inclusive Schools in Action: Making Differences Ordinary , 2000 .

[16]  Carolyn Riehl,et al.  The Principal's Role in Creating Inclusive Schools for Diverse Students: A Review of Normative, Empirical, and Critical Literature on the Practice of Educational Administration , 2000 .

[17]  C. Marshall,et al.  Are Principals Prepared to Manage Special Education Dilemmas? , 2000 .

[18]  Carol S. Weinstein,et al.  Sources of Leadership for Inclusive Education: Creating Schools for All Children , 1999 .

[19]  L. Monda-Amaya,et al.  Principals' Knowledge of and Attitudes Toward Inclusion , 1998 .

[20]  Anne Jordan,et al.  Canadian Teachers' and Principals' Beliefs about Inclusive Education as Predictors of Effective Teaching in Heterogeneous Classrooms , 1998, The Elementary School Journal.

[21]  Ann Nevin,et al.  Teacher and Administrator Perceptions of Heterogeneous Education , 1996 .

[22]  S. W. Flynt,et al.  Schools and Inclusion: Principals' Perceptions , 1996 .

[23]  Joakim Isaksson.  Spänningen mellan normalitet och avvikelse : om skolans insatser för elever i behov av särskilt stöd , 2009 .

[24]  Claes Nilholm,et al.  Kommuners arbete med elever i behov av särskilt stöd , 2007 .

[25]  Joanna Giota,et al.  Specialpedagogiskt stöd i grundskolan – omfattning, former och konsekvenser , 2007 .

[26]  Gun-Marie Wetso.  Lekprocessen - specialpedagogisk intervention i (för)skola : när aktivt handlande stimulerar lärande, social integration och reducerar utslagning , 2006 .

[27]  Tony Booth,et al.  Index for Inclusion: Developing Learning and Participation in Schools. , 2000 .