ED 564: Administration of Inclusive SchoolsTuesday, February 21, 2012

Leadership & Trust

Faculty of Education

Class Outline

The Problem of InclusionBuilding an Environment of TrustSynthesisFinal ThoughtsPresentation – Carrie Ann & TracyPresentation – Tim & Andrew

The Problem of Inclusion

As we have seen, the problem with inclusion is NOT the concept (philosophy) but rather putting it into practice

A Nova Scotia study (2002) indicates that for secondary teachers, the biggest issues surrounding inclusion were: (1)lack of resources; (2)lack of support; and (3)inadequate preparation

Based on your experience, is the IPP a document that is strictly adhered to?

What is your reaction to school administrators and/or teachers who fail to adhere to the IPP?

Building an Environment of Trust

Trust grows over time, with an ongoing assessment process whereby teachers and principals evaluate each other

For Macmillan, trust proceeds along a continuum

1)Role (trust based on legal mandate of position)

2)Practice (trust based on predictable responses)

3)Integrative (trust based on understood underlying principles)

4)Correlative (trust based on mutual understanding)

Synthesis

Principle I: Consistency between what a principal says and what he or she does

Principle II: Principals must advocate for the inclusion of all students

Principle III: Building an inclusive school culture takes time!

What is an inclusive school culture??

Final Thoughts

The movement towards an inclusive school depends to a large degree on the principal creating an inclusive school culture

This is not an easy task, and will require time and commitment

What is your reaction to the view that “Inclusion is a problem that cannot be resolved…[as opposed to] being based on a belief that…[it] is a challenge to be addressed.”