ED 564: Administration of Inclusive Schools

1. Faculty of Education ED 564: Administration of Inclusive Schools Saturday, February 11, 2012 Research/Making Inclusive Leadership Work

2. Class Outline Inclusive Leadership Making Inclusive Leadership Work Change Why Does Change Fail? Final Thoughts

3. Inclusive Leadership Is a collective process in which everyone is included or fairly represented Inclusive leadership is built upon a general view of inclusion that aims to achieve inclusion in all aspects of schooling and beyond the school to the local and global community, and it does so through a process that is itself inclusive

4. What are the barriers to inclusive leadership? 1)entrenched hierarchy 2)manner in which people perceive leadership in terms of positions or individuals who act in certain exclusive ways 3)difficulty of linking participation in decision-making processes to the ends for which these processes are organized

5. For Ryan, the literature surrounding the various types of inclusive leadership provides a backdrop of what inclusive leadership might look like, as well as offering suggestions as to how it might be implemented

6. Emancipatory leadership involves making people aware of exclusionary practices, as well as encouraging change that promotes inclusion Teacher leadership has taught us that schools improve not because of a solitary individual, but as a result of a myriad of individuals working together in different ways

7. Despite the objections of some educators, research reveals that students should be included in school leadership for both moral and pragmatic reasons Initiatives to include the community in school leadership are also gaining attention, mainly through initiatives such as empowerment and enablement

8. Leadership involving the inclusion of differently abled students is focused on the prospects of differently abled students rather than all marginalized students

9. Making Inclusive Leadership Work 1)Thinking About Leadership We need to stop thinking about leadership as a sole heroic individual exerting power from atop a hierarchy For leadership to be inclusive, all must have an opportunity to influence what happens

10. 2)Including Members of the School Community Allows for all to be involved, either formally or informally 3)Advocating for Inclusion Make inclusion a nonnegotiable reality???

11. 4)Educating Participants All members of the school community must assume the role of teacher and learner 5)Developing Critical Consciousness For inclusion to work, education must be critical

12. 6)Promoting Dialogue Ensure everyone has a voice 7)Emphasizing Student Learning and Classroom Practice 8)Adopting Inclusive Policymaking Processes 9)Incorporating Whole-School Approaches

13. Change Change is a paradox in that we must have it to grow, and we resist it energetically. Leaders for change are propelled by values, a vision and passion To accomplish this, leaders must invest in relationships, and help to foster a climate of respect and caring among faculty

14. As well, leaders must hold realistic views about the change process, and stay the course Can change be controlled or managed? Is change inevitable? How do you manage people who resist change? How do you assist organizational members in coping with the uncertainty of change?

15. Why does Change Fail? Underestimating complexity of change Mandating change v. providing a vision Insufficient leadership Insufficient support Failure to deal with multifaceted nature of change Lack of persistence

16. Inattention to teachers’ personal circumstances Lack of shared clarity about a plan for change Weak linkage to student effects and outcomes Missteps with scope and pacing

17. For Lewin (1997) change involves a three-step process:

18. Final Thoughts Inclusive leadership, as envisioned by Ryan, emphasizes the process and product of leadership in that: (a)all members of the school community should be involved in influence processes; and (b)leadership processes should promote inclusive practices generally

19. Certainly, the movement towards inclusive leadership involves change, and change can be difficult The question is do we seek “change for the sake of change” “All too often we forget that in our attempts to alter and reform schooling there are elements that should not be changed but need to be kept and defended.” Michael Apple