Session Information
26 SES 03 B, School Leadership and Inclusive Education: Future Perspectives
Paper Session
Contribution
In Cyprus, students with special education needs (SEN), are provided only in theory with the right to receive quality education that satisfies their needs. Despite the existence of a legislative framework since 1999 (Law for the Education and Training of Children with Special Needs, 113(I) of 1999) and the signing of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (2006 by Cyprus in 2011), there has been little or no improvement in inclusive education. In fact, reasonable accommodations remain utopian, and students with SEN in Cyprus need to cope with a harsh education system where their needs are dangerously marginalized (Symeonidou & Mavrou, 2020). The reasons are mainly due to the rigid curriculum, the separation of students with SEN from the whole class in individualized lessons, the lack of teacher training, the non-existent involvement of parents in educational issues, the poor infrastructure, as well as the negative social perceptions about disability (Phtiaka, 2019; Gross, 2008; Symeonidou, 2007; Oliver, 2004).
Therefore, it is understood that all the weight of inclusive education within a system that contradicts its philosophy, is to be lifted by each school organization individually. Therefore, in this extremely difficult task, what we argue is that the school principal has a crucial role to play. In particular, the school principal needs to adopt particular leadership behaviors and apply the appropriate leadership practices that will allow students with SEN to improve both academically and emotionally. To the already existing difficulties in the context of Cyprus, specifically due to the socio-economic changes, the centralization of the educational system, and the challenges of the wider context that affect the leadership work (Pashiardis, 2015), we also acknowledge the inclusive education aspect. Clearly, the biggest challenge for any school principal is to improve learning outcomes for all students, and especially for students with SEN, through the provision of equal educational opportunities.
The influence of the school principal on school performance has been demonstrated through a wide range of studies (Hoy & Miskel, 2001; Hallinger, 2003; Leithwood & Louis, 2012; Pashiardis & Johansson, 2016). Yet, limited research is presented on the current role of school principals in inclusive education. Therefore, it is deemed more important to present evidence of school principalship practices for supporting students with SEN.
Therefore, in this study, we present the school principals’ practices based on particular leadership styles derived from the Pashiardis -Brauckmann Holistic Leadership Style Framework. The leadership styles that are distinguished in the scope of action of educational leadership are the following: Instructional Style, Structuring Style, Participative Style, Entrepreneurial Style, and Personnel Development Style (see Bracukmann & Pashiardis 2011; Pashiardis, 2014; Pashiardis & Brauckmann, 2008).
Specifically, the following research question guided this particular study: "What kind of leadership practices are promoted by school principals that can support students with SEN through the presentation of leadership styles based on the Pashiardis -Brauckmann Holistic Leadership Style Framework (Bracukmann & Pashiardis 2011; Pashiardis, 2014; Pashiardis & Brauckmann, 2008)?" We have utilized this theoretical background to connect school principals’ leadership practices in supporting students with SEN and inform the current literature with these two particular thematic topics.
Method
The original type of evidence was qualitative empirical research carried out through the examination of four case studies in school organizations with a high number of students with special education needs. The sample included four school principals (the school principals in each case study), as well as 28 teachers (7 teachers from each case study) who either teach in the special education program of their schools or have students with SEN in their classrooms. It is worth mentioning that, based on the information provided by the District Office of Secondary Education in Cyprus, a criterion for the selection of these particular case studies was the high percentage of students with SEN within the schools. Using the interview protocol as the main research tool, we elicit information on school principals’ leadership styles for promoting the best support for students with special needs. In particular, the interview protocol for school principals included 20 questions concerning their leadership activities and the implementation of inclusive education in their school organizations. Furthermore, the teachers’ interview protocol included 15 questions concerning school principals’ leadership styles and practices with students with SEN. Both interview protocols were created by the researchers, who pilot the credibility of the research tools. The interviewing took place in all school organizations over the course of one week per school. The date and time of the interviews were arranged after the researchers first visited the schools. Following, the transcripts of the interview data were analyzed through a detailed coding analysis scheme based on the five leadership styles of our theoretical background.
Expected Outcomes
The findings indicate that the combination of three particular leadership styles can support the desired school outcomes of students with special educational needs and address various problems in relation to inclusive education in the respective school organizations. In particular, the entrepreneurial leadership style, the participative leadership style, and the personnel development style were the three most important leadership styles promoted by school principals. In each leadership style, specific leadership practices will be presented. At the same time, the research highlighted the insufficient epistemological background of the principals in matters of inclusive education as well as their insufficient training in related issues. Overall, the findings could contribute to the development of a particular educational policy that will promote and support students with special needs from the perspective of the school principal. Furthermore, the results could be compared to those in other contexts where school principals’ leadership styles and practices are promoted in relation to the support of students with special needs.
References
Brauckmann, S. & Pashiardis, P. (2011). A Validation Study of the Leadership Styles of a Holistic Leadership Theoretical Framework. International Journal of Educational Management, 25 (1) 11-32. Gross, J. (2008). Beating Bureaucracy in Special Educational Needs. London: Routledge/ NASEN. Hallinger, P. (2003). School leadership development: Global challenges and opportunities. In P. Hallinger (Ed.), Reshaping the landscape of school leadership development: A global perspective. Lisse, Netherlands: Swets & Zeitlinger. Hoy, A. W., & Hoy, W. K. (2013). Instructional leadership: A research-based guide to learning in schools, 4th edition. Boston: Allyn and Bacon. Law for the Education and Training of Children with Special Needs 113(I) of 1999 https://www.european-agency.org/country-information/cyprus/legislation-and-policy Leithwood, K., & Louis, K.S. (2011). Linking leadership to student learning. San Francisco, CA: Jossey Bass. Oliver, M. (2004). Understanding disability: from theory to practice (2nd edn.). Basingstoke: Macmillan. Pashiardis P. (2015). Management of Change, School Effectiveness and Strategic Planning: Volume II Strategic Planning in Education. (Editor). Athens: Ion Publishing House. Pashiardis, P. and Johansson, O. (2016). Introduction: What is Successful and Effective School Leadership? In Pashiardis, P. and Johansson, O. (Eds.), Successful School Leadership: International Perspectives (pp. 1-12). London, Oxford, New York, New Delhi, Sydney: Bloomsbury. (In English).
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