Managing Inclusive Education Schools Through the Index for Inclusion

<p class="ql-align-justify">Inclusive education has become a central pillar of global educational reform, yet its management remains uneven across schools and systems. While the Index for Inclusion is widely recognized as a framework for fostering inclusive cultures, policies, and practices, how school leaders systematically apply it as a management and governance instrument remains poorly understood. This study aimed to systematically review recent literature (2021–2025) on the management of inclusive education schools through the lens of the Index for Inclusion. Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) 2020 guidelines, a search was conducted in Scopus, yielding 947 records, of which sixty-four studies met the inclusion criteria. Quantitative synthesis revealed that most studies applied the Index in relation to inclusive cultures and practices, with policies being underrepresented. Qualitative evidence highlighted both enabling practices, such as mentoring and peer support, and constraining factors, including weak policy frameworks and fragmented implementation. The findings show a misalignment between aspirational frameworks and operational realities, with implications for leadership, teacher training, and systemic reform. Crucially, this is the first systematic literature review (SLR) to examine inclusive school management explicitly through the Index for Inclusion, providing a management-focused synthesis absent from the existing literature and underscoring the urgent need to strengthen policy integration as a systemic priority.</p>