Research to date has emphasized the importance of school leadership in improving outcomes for schools with diverse populations (NASSP & NAESP, 2013; Ruairc et al., 2013; Lambert et al., 2002; Heller& Firestone, 1995; Booth and Ainscow, 2011; Leithwood et, al., 2012). Head Teachers are expected to create the conditions for a positive learning environment, academic rigor, and set the standard for inclusive education. Although successful school leadership is a high priority for education in the Caribbean (Miller, 2013), there appear to be tensions in relation to inclusion. The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) largely supports The Dakar Framework for Action of Education for All (UNESCO, 2009), and their openness to the UNESCO Salamanca Statement for Action in 1994 is widely acknowledged. There have been reports indicating steady progression in educational leadership and inclusive practices within the last decade. However, no planned, long-term innovations have emerged (Commonwealth, Secretariat, 2012 & UNESCO, 2015; Riser, 2012). The aim of the study was to explore school leadership and Inclusive education in the Caribbean from the point of view and lived experience of a group of Head Teachers. A qualitative study was conducted with sixteen participants selected from among secondary schools across Guyana and Trinidad & Tobago. An Interpretative Phenomenological Approach- IPA was used (Smith, J. A.; Flowers, P. & Larkin, M. 2009), which explored how Head Teachers ascribe meaning to their unique, lived experiences and how this affects their role in facilitating inclusive education. This study has identified major misalignments between the requirements of the United Nations conventions regarding inclusion and the current focus of the Caribbean system of Education. In their efforts to maintain a student centred approach in leading their schools, the Head Teachers have been instrumental and innovative under uniquely challenging school circumstances. There is potential for the Caribbean schools' context to be seen as a place for the development of leadership that supports the process of inclusive education. However, the impression was that it would take major realignment of leadership perspectives, alongside trained, skilled expertise to be able to deliver meaningful support for inclusion.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:720592 |
| Date | January 2017 |
| Creators | Moriah, Mishel Patrina |
| Publisher | University of Aberdeen |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Source | http://digitool.abdn.ac.uk:80/webclient/DeliveryManager?pid=232401 |
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