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Inclusive Education: Voices from Elementary School Principals in the United States

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Title: Inclusive Education: Voices from Elementary School Principals in the United States
Language: English
Authors: Fabián Arroyo-Rojas (ORCID 0000-0002-3972-6234), Felipe Hidalgo-Kawada (ORCID 0000-0002-8885-6895), Rio Watanabe (ORCID 0000-0001-9878-5843), Danene Fast (ORCID 0000-0003-1711-3944)
Source: Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs. 2024 24(4):1105-1114.
Availability: Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www.wiley.com/en-us
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 10
Publication Date: 2024
Sponsoring Agency: Department of Education (ED)
Contract Number: H325H190001
Document Type: Journal Articles
Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Education
Descriptors: Inclusion, Elementary School Students, Principals, Administrator Attitudes, Discourse Analysis, Culturally Relevant Education, Leadership Styles, Safety, Advantaged, Elementary Schools
DOI: 10.1111/1471-3802.12698
ISSN: 1471-3802
Abstract: Currently, schools in the United States are highly diversified and integrated. In other words, the integration of students representing multiple identities and positionalities existing in the same educational spaces is much more common. The purpose of this study was to examine elementary school principals' perspectives on inclusive education. Grounded in social constructionism, the research design was a descriptive case study positioned using qualitative methodology. The primary data sources were semi-structured one-on-one Zoom interviews with four elementary school principals from the Midwestern region of the United States; and researchers' reflexive notes in order to understand how principals understand and deploy inclusion within their respective schools. Based on thematic analysis, in this paper, we constructed the following interrelated themes: (a) building discourses around inclusion from prior educational experiences; (b) culturally responsive leadership as a practice to inclusion; (c) collective feelings of safety, comfort and harmony and (d) the negotiation of privilege. These themes highlighted that the conceptualization and implementation of inclusion heavily prioritize the perspectives of professionals within schools rather than those of the individuals being included.
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 2024
Accession Number: EJ1442873
Database: ERIC
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  Value: <anid>AN0180170222;0lc01oct.24;2024Oct11.05:16;v2.2.500</anid> <title id="AN0180170222-1">Inclusive education: Voices from elementary school principals in the United States </title> <p>Currently, schools in the United States are highly diversified and integrated. In other words, the integration of students representing multiple identities and positionalities existing in the same educational spaces is much more common. The purpose of this study was to examine elementary school principals' perspectives on inclusive education. Grounded in social constructionism, the research design was a descriptive case study positioned using qualitative methodology. The primary data sources were semi‐structured one‐on‐one Zoom interviews with four elementary school principals from the Midwestern region of the United States; and researchers' reflexive notes in order to understand how principals understand and deploy inclusion within their respective schools. Based on thematic analysis, in this paper, we constructed the following interrelated themes: (a) building discourses around inclusion from prior educational experiences; (b) culturally responsive leadership as a practice to inclusion; (c) collective feelings of safety, comfort and harmony and (d) the negotiation of privilege. These themes highlighted that the conceptualization and implementation of inclusion heavily prioritize the perspectives of professionals within schools rather than those of the individuals being included.</p> <p>Keywords: diversity; inclusion; inclusive leadership; qualitative; school principal</p> <hd id="AN0180170222-2">Key points</hd> <p></p> <ulist> <item> We increase critical discussions around inclusive education using a social constructionist approach from the perspectives of elementary school principals.</item> <p></p> <item> We found elementary that school principals construct meaning about inclusion in different ways, emphasizing previous experiences, collective feelings and culturally relevant practice.</item> <p></p> <item> Principal preparation should increase critical discussion on how inclusive education is conceptualized and operationalized in schools.</item> </ulist> <hd id="AN0180170222-3">INTRODUCTION</hd> <p>Inclusion has emerged as a prevailing topic across various domains, notably education. In today's educational landscape, inclusion holds significant sway within legal frameworks and pedagogical approaches (Heck & Block, [<reflink idref="bib21" id="ref1">21</reflink>]). Nevertheless, the notion of inclusion has become polysemous and, at times, ambiguous, permeating numerous facets of society over recent decades (Imray & Colley, [<reflink idref="bib26" id="ref2">26</reflink>]; Ryan, [<reflink idref="bib44" id="ref3">44</reflink>]). The term 'inclusion' has been adopted by academics and educators, embodying what some describe as a victim of educational jargon marked by oversimplification and detachment, stripped of its initial political significance (Moore & Slee, [<reflink idref="bib35" id="ref4">35</reflink>]). The oversimplification of inclusion is reduced to the mere physical presence of students in the same spaces (Haegele, [<reflink idref="bib19" id="ref5">19</reflink>]) and in some cases, reduced to pedagogical adaptations alone (Arroyo‐Rojas & Hodge, [<reflink idref="bib2" id="ref6">2</reflink>]). However, despite this common wish of generalizing the understanding of ideas and practices, it is true that the ways in which inclusion can be understood and practiced will depend on a number of sociocultural factors, beliefs and experiences (Kamenopoulou, [<reflink idref="bib28" id="ref7">28</reflink>]). Therefore, our interest is to examine how, in the context of general education in the United States (US), inclusive education is being situated and understood by elementary school principals.</p> <hd id="AN0180170222-4">CONCEPTUALIZING INCLUSION</hd> <p>Efforts towards fostering inclusive practices within the realm of education have been evident throughout the history of schooling in the US (Osgood, [<reflink idref="bib40" id="ref8">40</reflink>]). This is illustrated by initiatives such as establishing schools for students with special needs dating back to the 1900s. Since the 1980s, particularly in the Global North, inclusion has gained prominence in educational discourse, positioned as a response to significant transformations within schools (Naraian, [<reflink idref="bib36" id="ref9">36</reflink>]; Naraian et al., [<reflink idref="bib37" id="ref10">37</reflink>]). These efforts seek to address inequalities and social exclusions stemming from the instability, insecurity and uncertainties prevalent in contemporary societies, encompassing economic, political and often pedagogical and educational leadership domains (Naraian et al., [<reflink idref="bib37" id="ref11">37</reflink>]). Consequently, promoting inclusion inevitably emerges as a matter of social justice within educational settings. As an international initiative within the realm of education, UNESCO ([<reflink idref="bib48" id="ref12">48</reflink>]) has advocated for an inclusive approach wherein every child has the opportunity to participate in the general school environment. In this context, inclusion is conceptualized as an approach aimed as all students' engagement in learning, cultural activities and community involvement (UNESCO, [<reflink idref="bib48" id="ref13">48</reflink>]). However, it is important to recognize that the interpretation and implementation of inclusion can vary depending on the sociocultural context and the perspectives of students and other members of the school community, such as school principals (Nilholm & Göransson, [<reflink idref="bib39" id="ref14">39</reflink>]; Waitoller & Artiles, [<reflink idref="bib49" id="ref15">49</reflink>]).</p> <p>Some scholars argue that inclusion is frequently conflated with access and integration, with these terms often used interchangeably (Bešić, [<reflink idref="bib4" id="ref16">4</reflink>]; Haegele, [<reflink idref="bib19" id="ref17">19</reflink>]). Access primarily pertains to legal frameworks concerning individuals with disabilities and their participation in various community activities, such as access to public transportation and assistive devices. Conversely, integration, typically involves individuals with and without disabilities sharing the same physical space, such as in integrated classrooms (Haegele, [<reflink idref="bib19" id="ref18">19</reflink>]; Wilson et al., [<reflink idref="bib50" id="ref19">50</reflink>]). However, it has been argued that integrated settings do not guarantee inclusivity, as mere pedagogical adaptations and the physical existence of students may not suffice (Haegele, [<reflink idref="bib19" id="ref20">19</reflink>]; Hodge et al., [<reflink idref="bib22" id="ref21">22</reflink>]). While integration may facilitate social interaction, it may not necessarily foster feelings of inclusion (Haegele, [<reflink idref="bib19" id="ref22">19</reflink>]; Hodge et al., [<reflink idref="bib22" id="ref23">22</reflink>]; Hodge et al., [<reflink idref="bib24" id="ref24">24</reflink>]). Students with disabilities have reported otherwise in integrated settings (Arroyo‐Rojas & Hodge, [<reflink idref="bib3" id="ref25">3</reflink>]). Similar experiences have been reported by students of colour in general education (Nganga et al., [<reflink idref="bib38" id="ref26">38</reflink>]). Transitioning to inclusive education might necessitate more nuanced and critical approaches to leadership, policymaking and pedagogical practices within historically and normatively ableist school environments (Haegele & Maher, [<reflink idref="bib20" id="ref27">20</reflink>]; Naraian et al., [<reflink idref="bib37" id="ref28">37</reflink>]). In recent years, a shift in perspective has emerged, suggesting that inclusive environments are closely tied to personal experiences of belonging, acceptance and value within communities, such as schools (Haegele, [<reflink idref="bib19" id="ref29">19</reflink>]; Haegele & Maher, [<reflink idref="bib20" id="ref30">20</reflink>]; Spencer‐Cavaliere & Watkinson, [<reflink idref="bib47" id="ref31">47</reflink>]).</p> <p>In the US context, the enactment of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) in [<reflink idref="bib27" id="ref32">27</reflink>] marked a significant shift in the landscape of contemporary education in the US. Specifically, IDEA emphasized teaching students with and without disabilities in general education settings to the fullest extent possible through specially designed instruction and services (IDEA, [<reflink idref="bib27" id="ref33">27</reflink>]). While we acknowledge that integrating students with disabilities into general education settings can be advantageous (Schmidt & Venet, [<reflink idref="bib45" id="ref34">45</reflink>]); this approach also presents various challenges. For example, including those stemming from insufficient discussion and preparation within teacher education programs (Dillon et al., [<reflink idref="bib13" id="ref35">13</reflink>]; Naraian et al., [<reflink idref="bib37" id="ref36">37</reflink>]), as well as a lack of preparation regarding inclusion in educational leadership programs, such as principal preparation (DeMatthews et al., [<reflink idref="bib9" id="ref37">9</reflink>]). DeMatthews et al. ([<reflink idref="bib9" id="ref38">9</reflink>]) argue that current school leadership preparation may be disconnected from the sociocultural contexts experienced by schools. Similarly, Naraian et al. ([<reflink idref="bib37" id="ref39">37</reflink>]) contend that the appropriation of inclusion varies depending on the interplay of factors such as leadership vision, available resources and teachers' preparation or professional development for inclusion. Thus, considering socially constructed meanings of inclusion, leadership styles and cultural context can yield fundamentally different perspectives on understanding inclusion and its implementation, potentially influencing the well‐being of all students with diverse identities and positionalities (Hodge et al., [<reflink idref="bib23" id="ref40">23</reflink>]).</p> <p>We are particularly interested in examining the understanding and construction of inclusion within various social‐cultural contexts and educational environments. This interest stems from the observed lack of discourse on the social construction of inclusion, specifically within school principals' perspectives and its implementation within school settings (Naraian et al., [<reflink idref="bib37" id="ref41">37</reflink>]). Additionally, from an educational leadership standpoint, literature indicates that school leaders and their practices often prioritize and reduce inclusive education to student achievement for all and promote effective pedagogical strategies (DeMatthews et al., [<reflink idref="bib11" id="ref42">11</reflink>]). In other words, inclusion is materialized by the performance of all students which is influenced by the teacher's actions. However, barriers exist that hinder achieving optimal levels of student success within diverse contexts, such as the number of students served, the social environment of the school (urban or rural), as well as leadership styles, which influence the operationalization of inclusive education (DeMatthews et al., [<reflink idref="bib11" id="ref43">11</reflink>]; Schmidt & Venet, [<reflink idref="bib45" id="ref44">45</reflink>]). Additionally, attention is given to the organizational changes necessary to foster inclusive practices (Ainscow & Sandill, [<reflink idref="bib1" id="ref45">1</reflink>]). These changes may be directed towards accommodating the diverse cultural backgrounds of students, especially in today's educational landscape characterized by a growing acknowledgement of the student populations across schools (Ainscow & Sandill, [<reflink idref="bib1" id="ref46">1</reflink>]; Garrison‐Wade et al., [<reflink idref="bib14" id="ref47">14</reflink>]). However, translating inclusive education to, leadership styles, pedagogical accommodations and superficial recognition of culture might not be sufficient. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine elementary school principals' perspectives on inclusive education in the Midwestern region of the US. In this context, we attempted to answer the following research questions: What perspectives on inclusion are constructed by elementary school principals in the Midwestern region of the US? And how is inclusion commonly operationalized by elementary school principals in the Midwestern region of the US?</p> <hd id="AN0180170222-5">Theoretical framework</hd> <p>This study is grounded on social constructionism (Gergen, [<reflink idref="bib17" id="ref48">17</reflink>]). From this perspective, as an ontological relativism and an epistemological subjectivity assumption, existence depends on worldviews that are not unique or specific (Patton, [<reflink idref="bib41" id="ref49">41</reflink>]); therefore, the conception—perhaps the construction—of reality can be influenced by history, context and interpersonal relationships (Gergen, [<reflink idref="bib17" id="ref50">17</reflink>]). In that sense, reality is constructed collectively, interpersonally and intersubjectively (Gergen, [<reflink idref="bib17" id="ref51">17</reflink>]). Approaching from this perspective was crucial for this study, as it allowed to elaborate on how perspectives of inclusion are constructed, if at all, with different backgrounds, beliefs, cultural contexts of each school and principals' training, for example. In other words, it is about capturing 'the diverse understandings and multiple realities about people's definitions and experiences of a situation' (Patton, [<reflink idref="bib41" id="ref52">41</reflink>], p. 122).</p> <hd id="AN0180170222-6">METHODS</hd> <p>A descriptive case study (Merriam & Tisdell, [<reflink idref="bib34" id="ref53">34</reflink>]) approach was used to enhance our understanding of context, community and individuals involved (Merriam & Tisdell, [<reflink idref="bib34" id="ref54">34</reflink>]). This form of qualitative inquiry is a flexible and exploratory approach. Following Merriam and Tisdell ([<reflink idref="bib34" id="ref55">34</reflink>]) this unit case study is specifically attributed to explaining a particular phenomenon within a specific context (i.e. elementary schools from one school district). Therefore, the intent of utilizing this approach is to provide rich descriptions of the perspectives and worldviews of the people (e.g. school principals) involved in a particular context (e.g. elementary schools) (Bradshaw et al., [<reflink idref="bib5" id="ref56">5</reflink>]).</p> <hd id="AN0180170222-7">CONTEXT AND PARTICIPANTS</hd> <p>The participants of this study were four (<emph>n</emph> = 4) elementary school principals in the Midwestern region of the US. These participants were recruited utilizing a purposive sampling strategy (Patton, [<reflink idref="bib41" id="ref57">41</reflink>]) who met the following criteria to participate: (a) current elementary school principal; (b) at least 5 years of experience as an elementary school principal and (c) sign a consent form. These participants were recruited via email invitations through personal contacts of the first, third and fourth authors. This email invitation explained the purpose of the study, the time commitment and the research procedures. An interview schedule was collaboratively constructed and agreed upon among all authors and informed by social constructionism. Examples of questions included: (a) What does inclusion mean to you in the context of your school? (b) What are some practices that you promote within your school and you considered as inclusive? All participants were asked to participate in two individual semi‐structured one‐on‐one Zoom interviews that contributed to reaching data saturation. The range of first and second interviews from all participants was 32–58 min of duration. All interviews were completed by the first author and initiated by stating the purpose of the study and the author's professional background to display his positionality in relation to this research. These interviews were audio‐recorded and transcribed verbatim for analysis. Each participant in this study subsequently completed and signed a consent form. The first author's institutional review board approved this study.</p> <p>Four elementary school principals from the same school district (Leonor, Christina, Tiana and Anthony; pseudonyms) participated in this study: three women and one man. Leonor was an African American woman with 12 years of experience as a principal at the elementary school level. Her initial educational background was in elementary education and educational leadership as a graduate degree. Leonor was currently undergoing her doctorate training in education. Christina, an African American woman with 9 years of experience working as a principal and had experience at two different elementary schools in the same district. Initially, Christina obtained a bachelor's degree in sociology and a graduate degree in science and elementary education. Her principalship licence was obtained through a local university. Tiana self‐identified as White and had 16 years of experience as principal at the same school. Tiana received a bachelor's degree in early childhood education. Additionally, she possessed two graduate degrees in literacy and reading, and educational leadership. Her teaching experiences were primarily in early childhood and second grade. Lastly, Anthony an African American male had 17 years of experience as an acting elementary school principal at the same school. His educational background was in elementary education and a master's degree in administrative education. All participants have extended experiences in the same school district primarily composed of urban schools with the presence of a diversified population of students (e.g. ethnic backgrounds, disabilities). In fact, this school district recognized 110 different languages spoken throughout schools.</p> <hd id="AN0180170222-8">DATA ANALYSIS</hd> <p>All data were transcribed verbatim. The data analysis was approached by following thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, [<reflink idref="bib6" id="ref58">6</reflink>]). Initially, the lead author immersed himself by reading and re‐reading the transcripts of the participants in its entirety. This process helped the researchers become familiar with participants' narratives, opinions and experiences. Second, a coding process took place where the lead author inductively assigned labels to what was said, theoretically driven in a social constructionist lens, and it was of relevance to the purpose of this study. In the third step, a familiarity across codes was performed to find similar and consistent patterns and shif into themes (Braun & Clarke, [<reflink idref="bib6" id="ref59">6</reflink>]). These initial themes were reviewed along with the second author as a critical friend (Smith & McGannon, [<reflink idref="bib46" id="ref60">46</reflink>]) to ensure consistency, coherence and alignment with the purpose of the study. A final agreement was reached among all four authors. Then, raw text was extracted from transcripts by the first author to ensure the original representation of the participants into the themes agreed by researchers. Moreover, participants' own words and narratives are presented through robust quotes to increase the credibility and authenticity of this study (Guba et al., [<reflink idref="bib18" id="ref61">18</reflink>]). These final themes were reviewed for consistency, coherence and clarity among all authors to ensure the representation of the participants, under the lens of constructionism and alignment with the overall purpose of this research.</p> <hd id="AN0180170222-9">FINDINGS</hd> <p>Based on reflexive thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, [<reflink idref="bib6" id="ref62">6</reflink>]), four themes were constructed: (a) building discourses around inclusion from prior educational experiences; (b) culturally responsive leadership as a practice to inclusion; (c) collective feelings of safety, comfort and harmony and (d) the negotiation of privilege. From a social constructionist perspective, we find these themes to be representative of how these participants make sense of inclusive education according to their experiences and the sociocultural contexts in which they are inserted in.</p> <hd id="AN0180170222-10">Building discourses around inclusion from prior educational experiences</hd> <p>We observe that how our participants discuss their preparation and the application of their personal experiences may exhibit (dis)connections, offering opportunities to link their past educational experiences with their professional practice. To delve deeper into these potential (dis)connections, which contribute to understanding inclusion, we have identified two recurring subthemes to explore how our participants contemplate their experiences and preparation: (a) the significance of prior educational experiences in addressing diversity and inclusion, and (b) the role of principal preparation experiences in fostering inclusion.</p> <hd id="AN0180170222-11">The significance of prior educational experiences in addressing diversity and inclusion</hd> <p>Past lived experiences are central to how principals might understand and perform their roles at schools. Participants consider these experiences as essential learning for their current practices as leaders. Specifically, the diversity of student population at their respective schools and previous experiences by principals are highlighted. This contributes to equalizing diversified environments as inclusive. One participant stated that his own school experience as student was positive, particularly with a very diverse student body 'growing up and even going to college, there was nothing where I didn't feel isolated' (Anthony). In addition, another participant reflected about the undergraduate and graduate student population in her higher education institution was diverse, contributing to a positive experience 'I didn't feel in [graduate] class there was a situation where I was being treated differently' (Leonor). It is interesting to see the how 'not feeling isolated' and 'not treated differently' constitute discursive markers to understand inclusion, which can be, consequently, understood as the possibility of being with others or participating in the making decision processes, and also being part of the 'normality'. These discursive markers might articulate essential perspectives towards inclusive education.</p> <p>In the case of Tiana, interestingly, she grew up in a less diverse environment, in a small town in the Midwest of the US. Nonetheless, she described her experiences in undergraduate preparation as diverse and more specifically positive to appreciate culture, that is, the presence in spaces with persons that might represent different nationalities, values and interests. For example, she recalled:</p> <p>I was assigned to do school experiences from observing student teaching in different school districts, which was much more diverse than my personal background... you can just open your eyes to a bigger picture and help you gain perspective on things differently.</p> <p>The participants might demonstrate through early educational or higher education experiences that these are positive to understand school as complex, dynamic and diverse social institutions. These experiences are perceived as positive, expanding their views about the student population and how they felt in diverse environments. Moreover, we find that the absence of isolation and positive social interactions with persons that represent <emph>diversity</emph> constitute axes of inclusive education.</p> <hd id="AN0180170222-12">The role of principal preparation experiences in fostering inclusion</hd> <p>The primary roles in educational leadership programs have historically been focused on acquiring managerial skills related to school functioning and approving state licensure. In this regard, Anthony reflected, 'I'd have to say in retrospect, yes, it [the preparation program] prepared me for to pass the test to have the licensure to be an administrator and to be a teacher'. Similarly, Leonor informed that her principal preparation was centred on the administration of the school. These educational leadership programs might discuss less on how to attend the needs of schools where the population is diverse in terms of race, gender, ethnicities and disabilities. In this context, for example, she reflected, 'the only class I recall having any type of interest in a special population was, special ed law, where we talked about laws pertaining to students with IEPs [individualized education plans]' (Leonor). Similarly, Christina stated that during her leadership training 'I had one class like working with special populations, like special ed, students working with the arts, RPE, all those kinds of courses'. Nonetheless, the primary focus of this class was contextualized under a legal framework:</p> <p>We did a lot of case study, primarily in that class, we would read case studies, and then the class discussions would be based off the case studies. So, we will talk about what's the issue in this case, and, you know, who are the plaintiffs and what was the outcome of the case, that kind of thing. So, it was primarily just learning the fundamentals of school law, especially at law. (Leonor)</p> <p>Additionally, participants reflected on their preparation to deploy an inclusive education. For example, Leonor critically reflected:</p> <p>I don't know that you can ever really be prepared for. You can have protocols and procedures and things that you know you need to do. But those were the kinds of things that I felt like, and how do you prepare for this? So if you asked me, Did I feel prepared? Yes. In my naivety, I felt like, Oh, I could handle this. But then it was always those unexpected things that kind of threw a loop. (Leonor)</p> <p>For others, formal preparation and linked to personal experiences significantly contributed to understanding inclusion differently. Tiana reflected on the following:</p> <p>It's hard to know what all prepared I was because I already worked here [school district] for such a long time. I think it was a combination of my classes at the university, sort of blended with the experiences I already had in my own school. Probably also a little bit with my personality and my drive to like to be around people with different backgrounds. So yeah, I think all of those factors combined has helped prepare me.</p> <p>While there is recognition of the deficiency in preparing individuals to implement inclusive practices, this prompts scepticism about whether professionals can ever truly feel equipped to navigate diverse environments. Conversely, it is essential to explore whether diverse personal and professional experiences, alongside formal education, might instil a sense of preparedness among principals.</p> <hd id="AN0180170222-13">Culturally responsive leadership as a practice to inclusion</hd> <p>All participants recognized the diversification in their current schools. This diversification is primarily demonstrated demographically through race, ethnicity and disability. In this context, inclusion is related to attending this diversification. However, this is a skill relegated to be learned experientially and on site. For example, Christina stated, 'but I feel like you do need to have conversations around [with teachers], you know, like a deeper level of understanding of backgrounds, diversity just that we kind of delve deeper'. Additionally, cultural awareness within school principals is an important element to consider deploying an inclusive practice. For example, participants recalled situations where students needed spaces to feel comfortable while they were fasting during a particular cultural holiday:</p> <p>So once I saw who was doing it [students neglecting to have lunch], and they were all my Somali students. I had to call the ESL department and talk to a representative from the Somali culture and just say like, is there something going on? And she goes, yes, Ramadan. (Tiana)</p> <p>Similarly, Leonor recalled that during the same holiday:</p> <p>That's what I mean that it shouldn't be an afterthought. If we were truly a culturally responsive school, I'm getting started with shame to say how many from our students I have that it's just not been a part of our work, and why not? Because we expected them to come and fit in here.</p> <p>There seems to be a recognition about valuing every individual in the school and how their uniqueness might contribute to the community as a perspective about inclusion. However, one of the principals reflected her own culturally responsible leadership as scratching the surface and an ongoing professional development.</p> <p>I think we need to begin to think about what that could look like, valuing everybody for who we are, and the uniqueness that we bring to the school; I think that we are just scratching the surface, I don't think that we're going deep enough into that work yet. (Leonor)</p> <hd id="AN0180170222-14">Collective feelings of safety, comfort and harmony</hd> <p>Interestingly, participants suggested collective feelings of safety, comfort and harmony related to inclusive schools. These feelings appear consistently across the narratives, although some principals place major emphasis on some given their own experiences and beliefs. Therefore, we found these three intertwined components central to understanding inclusive education in elementary schools from the perspective of these principals.</p> <p>Feelings of safety were related, in some cases, to a school climate that contributes to the well‐being of the individuals and learning. In this case, Anthony stated 'you know you feel safe when your well‐being is taken care of'. Additionally, 'it makes no sense if they're not in the right mindset if they don't feel safe' (Anthony). Interestingly, this sense of safety might be contextualized differently according to the environments. For instance, Tiana mentioned:</p> <p>Safety in the classroom might look different than safety on the playground or safety on a school bus. And we really try to urge kids to model safe behaviors. And I think having that really strongly [safety] in place for everybody, sort of fosters inclusiveness too.</p> <p>Likewise, feelings of comfort stem from how students engage with their school experiences and the knowledge imparted. It is not merely about passive consumption, but it involves active negotiation. Students bring in diverse cultural practices and knowledge, which serve as valuable assets for mutual learning among all participants in the school environment. For example, the possibility of bringing their food to schools meant not only to be open to the plethora of dishes and preparations but also as a way to enrich and comprehend the cultural backgrounds of students. With this, levels of comfort among students are important to experience an inclusive education. Moreover, this is associated with how the environment is built in a way that represents or recognizes the experiences and backgrounds of students. In that context, Anthony recalled:</p> <p>School took time out to represent and recognize that we are a diverse population from different countries, and they [students] appreciated and feel comfortable bringing in a lot of what they eat at their house that we did not know about, and then be able to articulate and educate us on that.</p> <p>This representation develops a comfortable environment around students, where they feel they can express who they are without the judgement. On the other hand, families that are part of the school community and feel these activities are important to increase a sense of collective belonging and comfort by recognizing who they are. In that case, Tiana mentioned:</p> <p>I think for them [non‐English speaking families], it makes them feel more comfortable. Because they see their country represented, they see their flag, they know that we're just here to celebrate them.</p> <p>It appears that symbolic representations of nations (e.g. flags; food) are contributors to a sense of comfort in schools. The connectedness to the essence of students and their families might invoke a sense of comfort of these families, which translated into inclusion within these schools.</p> <p>Likewise, the collective experience of <emph>harmony</emph> seems a recurrent pattern across principals when understanding how, if at all, an inclusive school might be perceived. The feeling of harmony is associated—perhaps strongly connected—to the feelings of safety and comfort. This is associated to how different situations remain in a balanced state within the schools. For example, Anthony reflected 'number one, for me is harmony. So always look at, you know, the fact that things can work together and have two people compromise. And we'll have harmony'.</p> <hd id="AN0180170222-15">The negotiation of privilege</hd> <p>When personal relations are established, different forms of power relations take place. These power relations in schools are depicted through students by their academic abilities, and in some cases, by their physical abilities. For example, one of our participants described that in the case of physical activity opportunities in schools, some students experience less possibilities due to the <emph>lack</emph> of skills. In that case, Anthony reflected:</p> <p>I said 11 girls are going to be on that [soccer] field on Tuesdays and Thursdays for fourth and fifth grade recess. No questions asked. Don't say anything to me. That means boys, if you want to be part of it, you can't jump in, but the rest of the week is going to be your opportunity.</p> <p>This negotiation is conceptualized as facilitating opportunities, potentially involving excluding individuals with higher skills and privileges at the elementary level from specific activities. This <emph>exclusion</emph> ensures that others can engage in comparable experiences alongside peers with similar skill sets. In fact, Anthony recognized that 'I prefer for you [students] to be able to negotiate and get little and see how that goes'. On the other side, this negotiation is informed differently. In that case, Christina reflected:</p> <p>African American females may not need the same kind of support, as the boys. So, it's using like climate data, attendance data, some of the social emotional panorama survey data to make some of those decisions and other supports like our state report card. Just looking at some of those things to determine, like tutorial services, extra supports to the children to help them kind of level some equity.</p> <p>Therefore, we find that negotiation can be informed and justified based on the needs of individual students as well as a collective. Additionally, this suggests that inclusive education is understood as making informed decisions to provide what is needed, although this might imply reducing the participation of some students in certain activities allowing more time for others.</p> <hd id="AN0180170222-16">DISCUSSION</hd> <p>In this study, we examined four elementary school principals' perspectives on inclusive education. Generally, the participants, when describing their perspectives, they centred the conversations on their experiences, practices and beliefs that shape how they understand and practice inclusive education. This reflection aligned with a social constructionist approach to make sense of the world, but particularly how they make sense on inclusive education in their respective sociocultural environments. More specifically, these critical reflections align with how they felt about their professional preparation, educational experiences and personal beliefs regarding attending the needs of diverse schools in their educational leadership practice.</p> <p>One significant component of our findings was the relevancy of culturally responsive practice (i.e. teaching) and, more specifically, to leadership. In the context of schools, this practice is understood as utilizing the cultural norms, experiences and beliefs of students with diverse backgrounds as key elements to teach and lead them effectively (Ladson‐Billings, [<reflink idref="bib31" id="ref63">31</reflink>]). In the case of culturally relevant leadership, these discussions have been developed over the last few decades (Gay, [<reflink idref="bib16" id="ref64">16</reflink>]). Following Gay (2010), the author argues that culturally responsive teaching (Ladson‐Billings, [<reflink idref="bib32" id="ref65">32</reflink>]) alone is insufficient if not aligned with other school levels, such as leadership. In fact, this is given due that student body diversification is a complex social phenomenon to embrace, accept and respond to responsibly from different professional perspectives. Although principals recognize the diversification of schools as positive, they feel unprepared in some instances to meet the needs of all students, which is consistent with what is seen elsewhere (Garrison‐Wade et al., [<reflink idref="bib14" id="ref66">14</reflink>]). It is known that school principals, in particular, are the 'most recognizable leadership position in a school, and the position most empowered by district, and even state, policy' (Khalifa et al., [<reflink idref="bib30" id="ref67">30</reflink>], p. 3). Therefore, and following DeMatthews and Mueller ([<reflink idref="bib10" id="ref68">10</reflink>]), principals are in a position of power to influence culturally responsive practice as a strategy to promote welcoming, safe and accepting environments for all students and even more specifically to those with minoritizing experiences (e.g. students with disabilities, students of colour). Nevertheless, this form of leadership is in a discovery stage as stated by some of the participants. This discovery stage might be situated where culturally responsive leadership might have different connotations depending on the population served. In alignment with Khalifa et al. ([<reflink idref="bib30" id="ref69">30</reflink>]), we argue that these connotations will vary on personal identities and social positionalities of the student body. Therefore, reflections around the dynamics of culturally responsive practice, and more specifically leadership, should be of particular interest in leadership preparation programs, and how (if at all) differentiation, collaboration and positive behaviours can be supported in culturally diverse schools as instructional strategies to <emph>feel</emph> included individually and collectively. As the principal's role continues to evolve due to changes in policies and the diversification of the student bodies, the principals' roles have become more complex and, therefore it has increased responsibilities and perhaps to re‐think school leadership (Brown, [<reflink idref="bib7" id="ref70">7</reflink>]; Garrison‐Wade et al., [<reflink idref="bib14" id="ref71">14</reflink>]). The repositioning of school leaders might involve a new configuration of the coursework in the preparation of principals, redesign of relevant standards and broadening the educational experiences during the preparation (Brown, [<reflink idref="bib7" id="ref72">7</reflink>]) as possibilities to better understand the sociocultural dynamics displayed in schools.</p> <p>The literature in the last decade has contributed to understanding inclusion as an individual subjective experience related to feelings of belonging, acceptance and value (Haegele, [<reflink idref="bib19" id="ref73">19</reflink>]; Spencer‐Cavaliere & Watkinson, [<reflink idref="bib47" id="ref74">47</reflink>]). This approach has allowed an academic dialogue to understand better—perhaps question—how integrated settings, in which students representing an array of identities and positionalities are educated in general education classrooms, might lack inclusivity. Nonetheless, these individualized experiences are important, and we encourage the attention on individual students; school principals might have a broader understanding of inclusion, which aligns with previous literature in terms of managing social institutions (Rinehart & Alcorn, [<reflink idref="bib43" id="ref75">43</reflink>]) to understand the school as a collective. We align with managing as 'school principal's relational and school‐specific exercise of professional judgment in response' (Rinehart & Alcorn, [<reflink idref="bib43" id="ref76">43</reflink>], p. 13). This professional judgement or the managing of schools by principals is dedicated many times to parental concerns, students disruptions and maintaining schools on track (Rinehart & Alcorn, [<reflink idref="bib43" id="ref77">43</reflink>]). More specifically, feelings of harmony were explored by Katz ([<reflink idref="bib29" id="ref78">29</reflink>]) associated with creating a climate that was appropriate to delivering positive experiences to students and minimizing interethnic conflict. In fact, Katz ([<reflink idref="bib29" id="ref79">29</reflink>]) stated that 'establishing a caring environment, increasing parental involvement and restructuring student groups, these schools have reduced interethnic conflict and tension and have seen the flowering of a more harmonious environment for learning' (p. 498). However, this might require further exploration as in harmony could potentially be related to modelling certain behaviours that can be considered ethnocentrically appropriate and diminishing ethnorelativism within the school context (Burden et al., [<reflink idref="bib8" id="ref80">8</reflink>]).</p> <p>On the other hand, the meaning of safety can be controversial as it might involve people's ideas and perceptions of deploying a safe environment (Díaz‐Vicario & Gairín‐Sallán, [<reflink idref="bib12" id="ref81">12</reflink>]; Hundeloh & Hess, [<reflink idref="bib25" id="ref82">25</reflink>]). We agree that safety might encompass the prevention of incidents, which is essential and necessary; however, it can broadly be understood as creating an environment that protects the well‐being of all individuals in schools (Díaz‐Vicario & Gairín‐Sallán, [<reflink idref="bib12" id="ref83">12</reflink>]). This protection considers the school's physical structure such as building, facilities, materials used and the emotional dimension of community members (Gavidia Catalán, [<reflink idref="bib15" id="ref84">15</reflink>]). When safety is understood as a collective feeling and practice, all members should be considered to participate actively and agree. Nonetheless, the role of the principal should demonstrate support to develop and implement initiatives that promote school safety (Díaz‐Vicario & Gairín‐Sallán, [<reflink idref="bib12" id="ref85">12</reflink>]) as a collective intersubjective feeling among all community members in schools, including students. Interrelatedly, comfort plays an important role in understanding inclusive education. As today's school climates increasingly report diverse student bodies and major interactions across races and ethnicities might occur. Therefore, culturally responsive education, as a skill crucial for promoting inclusivity, is underdeveloped and requires deeper critical discussions and attention. While there is recognition of the importance of valuing each individual within the school community and leveraging their uniqueness, some principals feel that their culturally responsible leadership only scratches the surface and requires ongoing professional development. However, it remains unclear whether the mere accumulation of coursework and discussions can enhance principals' readiness to engage with students and educators from various backgrounds.</p> <p>Lastly, there is a strong tendency to associate school diversification solely with addressing disadvantaged students. In fact, minimizing inclusive education to acknowledging visible differences might be reductionist. Additionally, more than teacher‐centric and principal‐centric approaches might be required to understand inclusion. Moreover, and following Haegele ([<reflink idref="bib19" id="ref86">19</reflink>]) and Petrie et al. ([<reflink idref="bib42" id="ref87">42</reflink>]) it seems important to further explore the experiences from those being included such as students and their families as key experts to inform whether current practices and beliefs are, in fact, inclusive.</p> <hd id="AN0180170222-17">CONCLUSION</hd> <p>This study aimed to explore inclusive education from the perspective of elementary school principals. In this context, inclusion, as a subjective concept, can take on various meanings and approaches based on prior experiences and sociocultural contexts. Notably, participants reported positive past experiences in diverse environments, influencing their perspectives on meeting the needs of all students. However, how these diverse experiences contribute to student well‐being across different backgrounds within the same educational spaces remains unclear. While principal preparation programs often focus on organizational and administrative aspects, there is a need to balance this with attention to student experiences. Culturally responsive skills should be cultivated during such programs to bridge this gap. Additionally, understanding collective feelings of safety, comfort and harmony in elementary school settings and across different schooling levels requires further exploration. Critical discussions around inclusion and sociocultural issues within schools can enhance cultural awareness among future principals, fostering welcoming environments and reducing cultural dissonance. Ultimately, exploring the impact of various factors on the effectiveness of inclusive practices remains essential.</p> <p>Finally, there remains a need for deeper exploration into how school principals conceptualize and contextualize their roles across diverse geographical regions within the US. We contend that the socially constructed viewpoints held by school leaders regarding inclusion significantly impact students' subjective experiences. We encourage our academic peers to expand this study to additional locations and include school principals from diverse backgrounds. Such an extension would enhance our understanding of the intricate dynamics of inclusion and, most importantly, contribute to better serving students. Furthermore, echoing the perspectives of Maher ([<reflink idref="bib33" id="ref88">33</reflink>]) and Haegele ([<reflink idref="bib19" id="ref89">19</reflink>]), critically examining inclusion ideologies—particularly from the standpoint of principals—can shape decision‐making processes that influence the subjective and intersubjective experiences of all students and community members within educational institutions.</p> <hd id="AN0180170222-18">FUNDING INFORMATION</hd> <p>The time of the first author has been partially supported by a grant from the U.S. Department of Education (H325H190001). However, the contents do not necessarily represent the policy of the U.S. Department of Education, and you should not assume endorsement by the federal government.</p> <hd id="AN0180170222-19">CONFLICT OF INTEREST STATEMENT</hd> <p>No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.</p> <hd id="AN0180170222-20">DATA AVAILABILITY STATEMENT</hd> <p>The data are not available due to privacy or ethical restrictions.</p> <hd id="AN0180170222-21">ETHICS STATEMENT</hd> <p>Ethics approval was granted by The Ohio State University (2022E0181).</p> <ref id="AN0180170222-22"> <title> REFERENCES </title> <blist> <bibl id="bib1" idref="ref45" type="bt">1</bibl> <bibtext> Ainscow, M. & Sandill, A. (2010) Developing inclusive education systems: the role of organisational cultures and leadership. International Journal of Inclusive Education, 14 (4), 401 – 416. 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Items – Name: Title
  Label: Title
  Group: Ti
  Data: Inclusive Education: Voices from Elementary School Principals in the United States
– Name: Language
  Label: Language
  Group: Lang
  Data: English
– Name: Author
  Label: Authors
  Group: Au
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Fabián+Arroyo-Rojas%22">Fabián Arroyo-Rojas</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3972-6234">0000-0002-3972-6234</externalLink>)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Felipe+Hidalgo-Kawada%22">Felipe Hidalgo-Kawada</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8885-6895">0000-0002-8885-6895</externalLink>)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Rio+Watanabe%22">Rio Watanabe</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9878-5843">0000-0001-9878-5843</externalLink>)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Danene+Fast%22">Danene Fast</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1711-3944">0000-0003-1711-3944</externalLink>)
– Name: TitleSource
  Label: Source
  Group: Src
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="SO" term="%22Journal+of+Research+in+Special+Educational+Needs%22"><i>Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs</i></searchLink>. 2024 24(4):1105-1114.
– Name: Avail
  Label: Availability
  Group: Avail
  Data: Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www.wiley.com/en-us
– Name: PeerReviewed
  Label: Peer Reviewed
  Group: SrcInfo
  Data: Y
– Name: Pages
  Label: Page Count
  Group: Src
  Data: 10
– Name: DatePubCY
  Label: Publication Date
  Group: Date
  Data: 2024
– Name: SourceSuprt
  Label: Sponsoring Agency
  Group: SrcSuprt
  Data: Department of Education (ED)
– Name: NumberContract
  Label: Contract Number
  Group: NumCntrct
  Data: H325H190001
– Name: TypeDocument
  Label: Document Type
  Group: TypDoc
  Data: Journal Articles<br />Reports - Research
– Name: Audience
  Label: Education Level
  Group: Audnce
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="EL" term="%22Elementary+Education%22">Elementary Education</searchLink>
– Name: Subject
  Label: Descriptors
  Group: Su
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Inclusion%22">Inclusion</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Elementary+School+Students%22">Elementary School Students</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Principals%22">Principals</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Administrator+Attitudes%22">Administrator Attitudes</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Discourse+Analysis%22">Discourse Analysis</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Culturally+Relevant+Education%22">Culturally Relevant Education</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Leadership+Styles%22">Leadership Styles</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Safety%22">Safety</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Advantaged%22">Advantaged</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Elementary+Schools%22">Elementary Schools</searchLink>
– Name: DOI
  Label: DOI
  Group: ID
  Data: 10.1111/1471-3802.12698
– Name: ISSN
  Label: ISSN
  Group: ISSN
  Data: 1471-3802
– Name: Abstract
  Label: Abstract
  Group: Ab
  Data: Currently, schools in the United States are highly diversified and integrated. In other words, the integration of students representing multiple identities and positionalities existing in the same educational spaces is much more common. The purpose of this study was to examine elementary school principals' perspectives on inclusive education. Grounded in social constructionism, the research design was a descriptive case study positioned using qualitative methodology. The primary data sources were semi-structured one-on-one Zoom interviews with four elementary school principals from the Midwestern region of the United States; and researchers' reflexive notes in order to understand how principals understand and deploy inclusion within their respective schools. Based on thematic analysis, in this paper, we constructed the following interrelated themes: (a) building discourses around inclusion from prior educational experiences; (b) culturally responsive leadership as a practice to inclusion; (c) collective feelings of safety, comfort and harmony and (d) the negotiation of privilege. These themes highlighted that the conceptualization and implementation of inclusion heavily prioritize the perspectives of professionals within schools rather than those of the individuals being included.
– Name: AbstractInfo
  Label: Abstractor
  Group: Ab
  Data: As Provided
– Name: DateEntry
  Label: Entry Date
  Group: Date
  Data: 2024
– Name: AN
  Label: Accession Number
  Group: ID
  Data: EJ1442873
PLink https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=eric&AN=EJ1442873
RecordInfo BibRecord:
  BibEntity:
    Identifiers:
      – Type: doi
        Value: 10.1111/1471-3802.12698
    Languages:
      – Text: English
    PhysicalDescription:
      Pagination:
        PageCount: 10
        StartPage: 1105
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: Inclusion
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Elementary School Students
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Principals
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Administrator Attitudes
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Discourse Analysis
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Culturally Relevant Education
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Leadership Styles
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Safety
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Advantaged
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Elementary Schools
        Type: general
    Titles:
      – TitleFull: Inclusive Education: Voices from Elementary School Principals in the United States
        Type: main
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      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Fabián Arroyo-Rojas
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            NameFull: Felipe Hidalgo-Kawada
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            NameFull: Rio Watanabe
      – PersonEntity:
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            NameFull: Danene Fast
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          Dates:
            – D: 01
              M: 10
              Type: published
              Y: 2024
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            – TitleFull: Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs
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