This paper is based on ongoing international work between schools/faculties of education in University College Dublin, Christ Church University (CCCU), Faculty of Education, and University of Oslo (OU), Department of Teacher Education and School Development Universidad de Murcia, Spain, and Selcuk University, Faculty of Education, Turkey in relation to the emerging focus on inclusive education across Europe. The debate in relation to the development of an inclusive school has become a common focus of the education systems in each of the participating countries. This collaborative work is in response to OECD reports identifying school leaders as key in facing challenges associated with the rising expectations for schools and schooling in the 21st century characterized by technological innovation, migration and globalization. Effective school leadership is increasingly viewed as key to large-scale education reform and to improved educational outcomes. Central to the rationale for this is that, if schools as centres of inclusion are to contribute to cultural cohesion within Europe, well informed and proactive educational leaders will be needed. Erasmus Mundus have recently funded the development of an Intensive Programme focusing on the theme of inclusive schooling and specifically the implications for school leadership arising from developments in this field. This paper draws on the insights gained from participation in this programme in enriching our understanding of the inclusive school paradigm. It is clear that different national policy contexts have a specific impact on the nature of practice in individual countries. Each of the five national policy frameworks will be explored with a view to identifying the key theoretical constructs that are currently informing the inclusive school debate in each of the countries. The findings of this part of the paper should contribute to widening and deepening the understanding with respect to the multidimensional opportunities and challenges that relate to the leadership of inclusive education within the increasingly diverse population of European countries. The second part of the paper will focus on an examination of key elements of the practice with respect to the operationalisation of the inclusive schooling model in each of the countries. The findings of this work will identify common patterns of practice that support and challenge the work of schools going forward in responding to the opportunities and challenges that are associated with inclusive schooling.

The there are two main dimensions to the methodology used in this study. Discourse analysis is used to review the national policy documents that refer to inclusion in each of the participating countries. The second phase of the study involves interviews and questionnaires with teachers and school leaders who participate on the Intensive programme with respect to how policy transfers to practice.

The findings will capture particular patterns of practice with respect to the manner in which schools in the different cultural contexts are responding to the concept of inclusive schooling. Key indicators of inclusive practices will be identified and in this way strategies to support the enrichment of an inclusive learning environment will be proposed. ct to how policy transfers to practice.