Toward a Framework of Inclusive, Socially-Just, Disability-Centered District Special Education Leadership: Scope, Strategy, and Action

Purpose : The focus of this study was to understand how district-level, central office administrators lead inclusive districts. Research Methods: This study is grounded in a conceptual framework informed by the traditions and knowledge of leadership for inclusion of students with disabilities, social justice, and disability studies in education. This research project spanned three years, involving frequent research meetings, interviews, sharing of district documents, member check meetings, email debriefing of interviews and transcripts, detailed field logs, and data collection memos. This included in-depth interviewing as a data collection method, that was used for the purpose of understanding the ways in which special education administrators make sense of their leadership role. Findings : We found two main avenues for these district administrators’ enactment of inclusive leadership: 1) engaging in student-level advocacy and 2) engaging in systems-level advocacy. These leaders operated at both the student-level, addressing student-specific issues, and maintained a broader lens and focus on systems (school, district, and community). Findings reveal the leadership scope, strategy, and actions leaders took, leading to a proposed framework of inclusive, socially-just, disability-centered district leadership. Implications : Recommendations are made for district leadership, leadership preparation, and future research.