Principals’ Efforts to Create and Foster an Inclusive School Culture
Pragmatic Approaches in Fast-Growth School Environments
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 22043458 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Barbara L Pazey (0000-0002-0015-4750, University of North Texas, corresponding author), Pinyi Wang (0009-0004-7016-0090, Florida Department of Education), April Joy Miles (0009-0003-2493-3251, Texas State University), William R Black (0000-0002-1060-0187, University of South Florida) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 16 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 66 |
| Publication date | 2026-01-03 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Education Sciences (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2227-7102 • E-ISSN: 2227-7102 |
| Publisher | MDPI AG (PUBLISHER • IT) |
| DOI | 10.3390/educsci16010066 |
| OpenAlex | W7118213873 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 54 |
School leaders are central to addressing educational inequality by fostering inclusion and belonging within their school communities. In fast-growth educational environments where enrollment surges and demographic shifts outpace resource capacity, school leaders face complex challenges in developing inclusive structures and cultures for students with disabilities. In this qualitative case study, the authors examined how 18 principals across PreK-12 grade levels in three rapidly expanding Texas districts conceptualized and enacted inclusive leadership. Thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews and focus groups revealed that while principals believed all students are capable of learning, they defined inclusion philosophically but implemented pragmatically limited notions of inclusion shaped by their districts’ organizational structures and continuum of services approaches to special education. Findings illustrate that fast-growth contexts amplify tensions between compliance and care, as school leaders balance external accountability and resource constraints with efforts to cultivate school cultures grounded in empathy, relationships, safety, and belonging. The study presents a complicated picture of how principals navigate pragmatic constraints while pursuing inclusive practices for students receiving special education services. Inclusive educational leadership in fast-growth school environments is more likely to occur when leaders reframe inclusion not as placement, but as a shared commitment to recognizing every student’s capability within a responsive community
Accountability · Cognitive reframing · Educational leadership · Focus group · Grounded theory · Qualitative research · Semi-structured interview · Thematic analysis · Collaborative Teaching and Inclusion · Education Discipline and Inequality · Teacher Education and Leadership Studies
Improving Schools, Developing Inclusion
What counts as evidence of inclusive education?
Social Justice Educational Leaders and Resistance
Promoting inclusion and equity in education
Inclusive Vision Versus Special Education Reality
Special Education and Meritocratic Inclusion
All means all
A good school is good for students of all abilities
Reframing the Most Important Special Education Policy Debate in 50 Years
The Individuals With Disabilities Education Act
On the Importance of Place
Leading Inclusive Schools
Education as a Means of Affirming Democracy Values in John Dewey’s Pragmatism
Beyond Good Intentions in Special Education Policy
Creating the continuum
You’re probably going to catch me out here’
On the necessary co-existence of special and inclusive education
Conceptualising inclusive curricula for learners with complex special educational needs
Navigating inclusive education in mainstream primary schools
Creeping Normality
Hard LRE Choices in the Era of Inclusion
The Americans with Disabilities Act and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
Routledge Handbook of Disability Studies
Developing inclusive education systems
Is inclusive education for children with special educational needs and disabilities an impossible dream
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |