The purpose of this study was to examine how and why elementary school principals collaborate with their teaching staff to facilitate a commitment to educating students with disabilities in the general education classroom. The researcher used a qualitative multiple case study of three elementary schools to gather the data to answer the research questions posed for the study. The primary methodology for collecting data was from coding semi-structured audiotaped interviews with principals and selected general and special education teachers who were collaborating for the purpose of integrating students with disabilities into general education classrooms for part of their academic instruction. Informal interviews or purposeful conversations were also conducted with other selected general and special education teachers and paraprofessionals at the elementary school sites. Coding procedures followed those used in grounded theory. The study demonstrated that principals play a major role in how students with disabilities are successfully integrated into general education classrooms. Six themes emerged that are consistent with the related literature on the generally effective practices of school administrators. First, principals must work with their staff to cultivate a school climate that nurtures all students in an environment where they all belong, where high expectations are set for all students, and where teachers can teach all children. Second, principals must establish an open system of communication that allows all teachers and parents to share their feelings about the inclusion process at their school and to make recommendations for change if needed. Third, school administrators must work with their faculty to develop mutual goals and to resolve problems. Fourth, principals must assume responsibility for ensuring the necessary support for school policies, including integrating students with disabilities into the general education classrooms. Responsibility was defined as providing instructional, staffing, and emotional support. Fifth, principals must give high priority to providing coordinated planning time for teachers who are working together to facilitate effective communication, team problem solving, and monitoring of student progress. Sixth, principals must support ongoing staff development opportunities that provide information and strategies for working in a school environment that is accepting of all members of the school community. / Ed. D.

Thesis advisor: Lauri Johnson / The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees estimates that more than half of the 22.5 million refugees worldwide are children. Among the consequences of fleeing their homes because of violence, war and persecution, families and children face a crisis level of interruption to their educational opportunities. As the United States continues to lead the world in welcoming asylum seekers, educational leaders must prepare for an increasing population of transnational students (Bajaj & Bartlett, 2017). Public schools in Massachusetts offer a unique perspective to study how leaders build supports for refugee students because of its high national rankings and the adoption of new Multiple-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) for all students (Massachusetts, 2019). This heuristic case study, nested within a group study of inclusive leadership practices in a Massachusetts school district, included interviews with 16 district and school leaders, informal observations of a high school and elementary school with a large population of “newcomer” students, and document review of school websites, newspapers, archives, achievement data, memos, and policy statements. Findings indicated that school leaders use inclusive practices to support the needs of their refugee students by (I) Identifying Barriers to Learning, (II) Aligning Structures with Universal Design for Learning, and (III) Committing to Equitable Access for All. Implications of this case study highlight how leaders might balance equity and access in response to the forced migration of millions of students arriving in their districts. / Thesis (EdD) — Boston College, 2020. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Educational Leadership and Higher Education.

Thesis advisor: Lauri Johnson / For students who have experienced trauma, to succeed academically and feel that their social/emotional needs are being met, district and school leaders must create inclusive environments where students feel welcome, taken care of, and safe. This qualitative case study, part of a larger group study of inclusive leadership practices, examined how district and school leaders in a Massachusetts public school district provided an inclusive environment for students who have experienced trauma. The study utilized a qualitative case study design which included 24 semi-structured interviews of district and school leaders and a focus group with six teachers. Findings indicated that district and school leaders help foster a shared vision for inclusive practices by creating structures that can support the needs of students and by providing teachers with the support and training they need to support all students. Inclusive leaders created culture, provided resources, and allowed opportunities for professional development and training that aligned with the framework and cornerstones of social justice leadership (Theoharis, 2009). Implications indicate that district and school leaders have an opportunity to provide equal access, equity, and social justice for all students by assessing current practices in place, identifying areas for growth, and believing in a vision and mission where all students have the right to be educated in an inclusive environment. / Thesis (EdD) — Boston College, 2020. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Educational Leadership and Higher Education.

An Exploration of Inclusive Management Practices: Through the Lenses of Public Managers Jessica Lee Spencer-Gallucci ABSTRACT This study explores how public managers think about and understand the practices of inclusive management (IM) in the workplace. Specifically, the research explores the lived experiences and perceptions of public managers and their implementation of inclusive management practices. The federal government is among the largest employers in the United States. Past and present presidential administrations recognize the importance of employee inclusion, engagement, and performance management as the foundations for building and sustaining the 21st-century workforce. This dissertation explores the intersection of inclusive management and diversity management. Although inclusive management practices have evolved into diversity management programs, government organizations continue to contend with implementing complex, inclusive practices in the workplace. Executive Order 13583 (2011) established a coordinated government-wide initiative to promote diversity and inclusion in the federal workforce. Changes in inclusive legislation and policies in President Trump's 2019 Management Agenda and the Office of Personnel Management's Strategic Plan 2018–2022 may indicate a shift in diversity and inclusion priorities. The Strategic Plan directs the Office of Personnel Management to provide federal supervisors enhanced public management tools that allow success in the workplace. As in previous years, the 2019 Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey (FEVS) identified areas of concern in the workplace. Respondents expressed concerns about how their agency evaluates job performance, processes, merit promotions, and respondents' ability to influence organizational practices. Respondents also were concerned the results of the survey will not improve workplace practices. This research explores the meaning and understanding of inclusive practices through the lenses of eight public managers. Although relying on eight interviews limits the study's generalizability, closely focusing and reflecting on a handful of distinctive voices, this study enabled a greater sensitivity to the lived experiences described by study respondents. The research examines the massive changes taking place in workplaces and societies. The narrative inquiry explored the question: How do public managers and leaders think about and understand inclusive management practices? The literature review guiding the study focuses on theories and concepts related to inclusive leadership, inclusive management practices, inclusion and diversity programs, and theory-to-practice models. Analyzing the eight participants' lived experiences provide a meaningful way of identifying patterns or different ways of doing the same things with inclusive practices, public managers' motivation, and professional training. Overall, inclusive management studies linked historical knowledge of inclusion with current inclusive management practices to enhance public management in the 21st century. The accumulated experiences and perceptions of participants in this study contribute to the existing knowledge of inclusive management practices. The research expands the landscape of inclusive concepts, theories, and practices by focusing mainly on public managers' lived experiences and inclusive management views. This study's results indicate the participants' actions align with the literature related to inclusive leadership concepts and the value of employees' perception of belongingness and uniqueness in the workplace. / Doctor of Philosophy / An Exploration of Inclusive Management Practices: Through the Lenses of Public Managers Jessica Lee Spencer-Gallucci GENERAL AUDIENCE ABSTRACT Although U.S. government organizations have advanced toward a broad view of inclusion, many public managers continue to grapple with an inclusiveness that requires listening, engaging, and supporting all employees in completing core tasks to improve public management services. Most contemporary government work focuses on improved efficiencies and outcomes. Simultaneously, the government workforce demographics have broadened, and inclusion is fundamental to an organization's core values. Inclusion refers to employees' perception that they are part of the organization and its processes. In this paradigm, the employee participates in decision-making, employee work is essential to the team, has adequate access to organizational information, and commands the resources needed to achieve the organization's mission and goals. Massive public management policy changes are taking place in public organizations and societies more generally. Yet, many employees express concern efforts to ensure inclusive practices in public management lack genuine commitment to fostering shared-decision-making, open-communications, trust, fairness, and the ability for employees to contribute to the organization. Inclusive management has emphasized the importance of inclusiveness for the advancement of the workforce in the future. There is limited historical knowledge about how public managers share their practices and learn from experiences of inclusiveness. The existing literature examines the need for managers to practice inclusiveness in the workplace. Additionally, researchers addressed the need for employees to have a sense of belongingness and uniqueness. Despite these queries, relatively little is empirically known about how public managers enact inclusive practices in public management. This exploration seeks to close this gap. Specifically, the inquiry sought a deeper understanding of eight participants' expertise, activity, and knowledge in relational encounters related to inclusive practices. A primary objective is to create a more powerful narrative around the many aspects of the participants' individuality. The results of this study suggest inclusive practices such as inclusive leadership, open-communication, managing workplace challenges, and valuing employees as an asset helps shape the perception of how managers think about and understand inclusiveness. In this study, participants emphasized promoting employee engagement through trust, fairness, and equality for all workplace employees. The study provides a better understanding of inclusive practice patterns that align with existing literature related to inclusive management, diversity, inclusion, and other inclusion literature.

No description available.

This study investigated how educators support students with significant disabilities to access the grade-level literacy curriculum within inclusive classrooms. Examination of multiple data sources across four classroom contexts revealed a comprehensive understanding of the educators' beliefs and practices in implementing inclusive education. The educators fulfilled specific roles and collaborated to support the focus students. The findings also illustrated an alignment between the class instruction and how the focus student was supported to participate in the whole and small group activities. The focus students received individualized instruction that was aligned with the class instruction, and they received additional, individualized supports to meet their unique learning needs. Specific implications for future research and practice are discussed from the perspective of advancing inclusive education and supporting students with significant disabilities to access complex and meaningful literacy instruction.

Co-teaching is an approach that is frequently used by schools when students both with and without disabilities are taught in an inclusive classroom. With co-teaching, a general education teacher and a special education teacher share the responsibility of planning and teaching students. This study examined the perceptions of elementary special education co-teachers (n=81) regarding their collaboration with the general educator and their involvement in instruction in the inclusive classroom. In addition, the special education teachers' satisfaction with the co-teaching assignment was investigated. Findings showed that special education co-teachers shared an average of 30 minutes of co-planning a week, teachers who volunteered to co-teach were more likely to plan more often than teachers who were assigned to co-teach, teachers in their first 3 years of the co-teaching relationship tended to have scheduled planning time compared to the spontaneous planning time of co-teachers with long-term relationships. Co-teachers shared the management of the behaviors of all of the students in the classroom. The primary role of the co-teacher was "floating and assisting" with all students rather than focusing solely on the students with disabilities. However, many co-teachers taught small groups of students comprised of students both with and without disabilities. Overall, co-teachers were satisfied with their assignment and career.

This study is part of the Line of Research in Special Education of the Program for Graduate Studies in Education (PPGE), in the Federal University of Santa Maria (UFSM) and analyzes the effects of implementation of the National Policy for Special Education on the Perspective of Inclusive Education (BRASIL, 2008c) concerning the school management. We aimed to understand how are established the relations of managers of regular municipal schools with inclusive practices. The research is based on a qualitative approach, using as a research tool semi-structured interviews conducted with managers of municipal schools of the city of Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul. The pedagogical political projects were also analyzed. School choice criteria included those with students belonging to the target public of Special Education and offering the Educational Service Specialist (ESS). We analyzed data using the content analysis method (BARDIN, 2011), covering three categories: Special Education, Management in School and Pedagogical Policy Project (PPP). The theoretical background of this study is based on theoretical formulations of the categories listed. The results of the interviews show that the managers of the schools said they know and even point out some difficulties on the proposal of the National Policy on Special Education: 1) identification of the target public of the policy, which excludes students with learning disabilities, 2) difficulty of dialogue between teachers on regular and special classes concerning to the planning and information exchange about students and 3) reluctance related to the time to attend training. Managers, although point out the most frequently difficulties found in the implementation of this policy, still believe that their school is inclusive, because, for them, the fact that the philosophy of inclusion is provided in the PPP s already guarantees this prerogative. In the three schools researched, we observed in the PPP topics taken from the proposed policy, but which are not in accordance with the reality of the school and the speech of managers. It is noticed that these schools face difficulties in identifying the adopted actions and inclusive attitudes. Managers still believe that inclusion is not for all students and consider the special education target audience linked to ESS actions. / O presente estudo insere-se na Linha de Pesquisa em Educação Especial do Programa de Pós-Graduação em Educação (PPGE), da Universidade Federal de Santa Maria (UFSM) e analisa os efeitos da implementação da Política Nacional de Educação Especial na Perspectiva da Educação Inclusiva (BRASIL, 2008c) no que se refere à gestão escolar. O objetivo foi entender como se processam as relações dos gestores de escolas regulares da rede municipal de ensino com as práticas inclusivas. A pesquisa ancora-se em uma abordagem qualitativa, tendo como instrumento de investigação entrevistas semiestruturadas realizadas com os gestores de escolas municipais da cidade de Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul. Os projetos políticos pedagógicos também foram analisados. Os critérios de escolha das escolas incluíram aquelas com matrículas de estudantes público-alvo da Educação Especial e que oferecem o Atendimento Educacional Especializado (AEE). Para o tratamento dos dados, foi utilizado o método de Análise de Conteúdo (BARDIN, 2011), contemplando três categorias: Educação Especial, Gestão na Escola e Projeto Político Pedagógico (PPP). O aporte teórico deste estudo se orienta com base nas formulações teóricas das categorias elencadas. Os resultados das entrevistas mostram que os gestores das escolas pesquisadas dizem conhecer e até mesmo apontam algumas dificuldades sobre a proposta da Política Nacional de Educação Especial na Perspectiva da Educação Inclusiva: 1) identificação do público-alvo da política, que exclui os estudantes com dificuldade de aprendizagem, 2) dificuldade de interlocução entre os professores da classe comum e da Educação Especial no que se refere a planejamento e trocas de informações sobre os estudantes e 3) relutância quanto ao tempo para participar de formações. Os gestores, embora pontuem as dificuldades mais encontradas na implementação desta política, ainda acreditam que sua escola é inclusiva, pois, para eles, o fato de a filosofia da inclusão estar prevista nos PPP s já garante esta prerrogativa. Nas três escolas pesquisadas, o observado no PPP consiste em tópicos retirados da proposta da política, mas que não estão de acordo com a realidade da escola e a fala dos gestores. Percebe-se que essas escolas enfrentam dificuldades em identificar as ações e posturas inclusivas adotadas. Os gestores ainda acreditam que a inclusão não é para todos os estudantes e consideram o público-alvo da Educação Especial vinculado a ações do AEE.

Thesis advisor: Lauri Johnson / Student discipline practices evolved significantly in recent decades, yet pervasive use of out of school suspension persists. Such exclusionary discipline practice negatively influences students’ opportunity to learn and restricts inclusion within the school environment. Wide belief and extensive research speaks to the benefit of alternative practices, yet a gap in research remains specific to what leadership practices influence such opportunities. The purpose of this individual study nested in a larger case study focused on leadership for inclusive practices, was an examination of leadership perceptions of how student discipline decisions can support a student’s opportunity to learn. This study, conducted in a diverse urban school district in Massachusetts, Northside Public Schools, included interview data from fourteen district and school leaders as well as examination of publicly available and locally provided documents as data for analysis. Findings indicate that fostering relationships between school, student, family, and community members is integral to inclusive practices as a whole, specifically when related to discipline situations and pivotal to effective implementation of alternatives to suspensions, such as Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports and Restorative Practices. Recommendations include intentional tiered systems development and implementation of instructional interventions as alternative to exclusionary discipline through a culturally responsive perspective. / Thesis (EdD) — Boston College, 2020. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Educational Leadership and Higher Education.

Research has shown teachers' attitudes toward students with disabilities directly affect the students' performance in the general education classroom; however, more research is needed to determine what variables influence high school teacher and support staff attitudes. The purpose of this study was to determine the attitudes of high school general education teachers, special education teachers, and support staff toward students with disabilities in the general education classroom. The study examined multiple variables such as gender, race/ethnicity, teaching experience, educators' role, and school size; and the impact of professional development on their attitudes toward inclusion. This study used an explanatory sequential mixed-methods design. Data collection included the Inclusion Attitude Scale for High School Teachers (IASHST), developed by Ernst and Roger, and then focus groups for general education teachers, special education teachers, and support staff in order to triangulate the findings. The results of this study found that general education teachers may have a more negative attitude than special education teachers and support staff. However, it is important to note that members of each focus group described what they considered to be appropriate exceptions to including students with disabilities in the general education classroom.