Principals' Perspectives on Inclusive Elementary Schools

Abstract

A growing number of schools are engaged in efforts to become more inclusive in their service delivery and educational practices. To date, accounts of principals involved in reform efforts have largely been absent from the research literature. To address this need, this study examined the perspectives and experiences of eight principals who were involved in developing inclusive elementary schools in urban, suburban, and metropolitan communities. Quantitative indices of inclusiveness were combined with principal interview data to develop a deeper understanding of how inclusive education was viewed by these principals, their perspectives on implementation, and the challenges they encountered. Results revealed that despite being considered inclusive, schools varied markedly from one another in their level of implementation, and that level of implementation was unrelated to an index of inclusiveness or to a measure of program quality. Schools with stronger administrative support and commitment reported serving more students with disabilities, including those with significant support needs, in general education for a greater percentage of time. Patterns among proponents were contrasted with viewpoints of administrators voicing conditional support for inclusive education.