Leadership for Educational Inclusion: Design and Validation of a Measurement Instrument

This article addresses the validation of an instrument designed to measure organizational leadership practices for inclusion and evaluates the said instrument’s factorial structure and convergent validity. This work responds to the need for quantitative tools to assess how school principals promote inclusion, in recognition of its importance for guaranteeing student access to an equitable quality education at all levels, from early childhood education through high school. The above-referenced instrument was developed based on a comprehensive literature review and consultations with experts, resulting in a 36-item scale structured in six key dimensions: D1: Professional Development; D2: Inclusive Vision; D3: Support for the Teaching–Learning Process; D4: Building Networks; D5: Participation and Dialog, and D6: Resource Management. The validation process included a confirmatory factor analysis that supported the existence of a hierarchical structure of a general factor of leadership for inclusion that determines the aforementioned key dimensions, with adequate fit indices (χ2(588) = 1694.624, p < 0.001, CFI = 0.945, TLI = 0.941, RMSEA = 0.060, SRMR = 0.034) and high internal consistency in the general scale (α = 0.98, Ω = 0.96). In terms of convergent validity, the instrument showed significant and consistent correlations with related constructs such as teacher self-efficacy and pedagogical leadership. This study highlights the importance of leadership for inclusion as a central element of fostering participation and learning in diverse school contexts, by providing a reliable tool for continuous improvement of the school management team’s performance of its functions. Also, it is important input for education policymakers charged with formulating student equity, who recognize the enhanced well-being and active participation in the social environment that result from the greater inclusion of students in their educational communities.