School Level Leadership For Creating Programs That Welcome All Students

As a principal, it is hard to express your true feelings about inclusion. You feel inadequate dealing with the varying problems associated with the different students. You have high expectations for them but it is more difficult finding ways to effectively meet their needs.

As I think of inclusion and the positive aspects, one particular student comes to mind. She is bright, sensitive, and accepted by all of her peers. Her love for life is contagious! You can see students being more compassionate individuals, accepting children with disabilities without question. She gives you a good feeling about inclusion because of the benefits to her and the other students.

Elementary School Principal

The importance of the school principal's support for the success of inclusive programs cannot be overestimated. High quality programs that meet the needs of all students require tremendous investments of hard work, creativity, teamwork, and perseverance on the part of everyone involved. Nor can educators be expected to get it completely 'right' the first time. It is important that they be given permission to try new approaches, to make mistakes, and to learn from their experience - that is, in the words of one administrator, "the permission to fail".

All of this requires active administrative support. Principals must be willing to ensure that teachers have adequate training, classroom resources and time to plan and to collaborate. As the leader of the School-Based Council, the principal is in a position to convey the school's commitment to all of its students, and to communicate to the community the benefits of inclusive school programs for all children. Richard Williams, Principal at Warner Elementary School and a long-time advocate for inclusive school programs, has identified a number of administrative strategies to support inclusive education:

An Administrator Supportive of Inclusive Education:

• communicates high expectations for all students
• communicates these goals and expectations to staff and parents
• models the belief that we should strive to meet all children's learning needs through personal interactions, and by promoting individualized instruction
• models the belief that we should strive to meet all children's learning needs through personal interactions, and by promoting individualized instruction
• demonstrates the belief that all students learn through imitation and doing; and facilitates learning environments with appropriate models for all children
• invests in training and collaborative planning to demonstrate that the strategies teachers use to address the needs of children with disabilities are also necessary to meet the needs of children without disabilities
• attends Admissions and Release Committee (ARC) meetings and program planning meetings
• encourages his/her School-Based Council to budget resources based on meeting student needs as opposed to categorizing students and resources
• monitors and adjusts programs and personnel based on changing needs
• encourages collaborative partnerships between general and special educators
• takes and encourages others to take learning risks without fear of failure

-Richard Williams, Principal, Warner Elementary School

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