Changing policy and practice that result in stronger inclusive principal leadership takes intentional coordination across departments within state education agencies, as well as collaboration with educator preparation programs and districts. Everyone has a stake in this important work, and it requires working in partnership.
The NCIPL firmly believes a more integrated approach will lead to greater impact.
Chief state school officers, their leadership teams, and other leaders across state education agency offices, in partnership with educator preparation programs and districts, can reflect on these questions as they begin establishing a vision for integrating inclusive principal leadership into policy and practice.
Questions State Leaders Can Ask Themselves to Advance Effective Inclusive Principal Leadership
Chief State School Officers and their Leadership Teams
- Are the needs of students with disabilities explicitly addressed in your state’s equity plan and overall vision for equity?
- What goals have you established for improving outcomes for students with disabilities in connection to the vision?
- How can the key policy levers of licensure, education leader preparation program approval, professional learning requirements and leader evaluation be used to develop inclusive principal leadership practices?
- How are you leveraging all applicable federal funding streams to advance effective inclusive principal leadership in policy and in practice?
- Is the SEA taking advantage of the optional 3% set-aside in ESSA Title II to provide sub-grants to school districts to support effective inclusive school leaders?
- How has the SEA worked to ensure a consistent message related to expectations of performance for school leaders to districts and preparation programs?
- How well are various departments or teams within the SEA (e.g., educator talent development, special education, school improvement) working together to provide coherent and aligned expectations for the support of school leaders in establishing inclusive practices?
- How does your SEA connect principal development/pipeline work with both school improvement work and state special education plans?
- How has your SEA brokered relationships between special education leadership organizations, principal/administrator leadership organizations, principal preparation programs, and local education agencies in the state?
- Has your SEA convened community stakeholders and advocacy groups to inform and engage support for inclusive principal leadership practices?
- How are you engaging with parents and families of students with disabilities at the state, district, and school levels on an ongoing basis?
Educator Talent/Educator Effectiveness Office
- Has your state adopted or adapted the PSEL standards for your licensure and program approval processes? If so, is there an opportunity to highlight the standards that support inclusive leadership practices?
- Do your current state priorities for professional learning for principals include inclusive leadership practices? Are you able to provide any state-level professional development to support this?
- Does the state have specific vendors delivering principal development programs? If so, are they required to address inclusive principal leadership practices?
- How has your office linked to/collaborated with other department efforts to support professional learning for effective inclusive principal leadership?
- Do you work with the academic office to ensure that districts and principals have the information they need to adopt a high-quality, standards aligned curriculum?
- Does the state help districts develop a pipeline of leaders with the mindset and skills to establish and maintain effective inclusive learning environments?
- What resources, professional learning opportunities, or systems to support inclusive leadership practices does your SEA provide or provide guidance around to LEAs?
- Does your office work with the regional service agencies to ensure that their professional development offerings incorporate inclusive leadership practices?
- Is your office able to foster collaboration across practitioners to share, collaborate, and discuss problems of practice related to inclusive principal leadership?
- Do your principal support and evaluation systems, or guidance to local education agencies on their systems, incorporate effective inclusive principal leadership practices?
- How can your office advocate for and incentivize principal mentoring and induction systems to provide a purposeful and deliberate focus on the development of school leaders to establish and maintain effective inclusive learning environments?
- Are the state-level supports provided through school improvement activities, including comprehensive support, targeted support, and overall continuous improvement supports, aligned to your office priorities for principals, including inclusive principal leadership?
- How does your office draw on the experiences of practicing principals who have used inclusive practices to achieve positive results for students with disabilities?
- Are there any practices or models of principal professional learning that have demonstrated positive results or impact in increasing achievement for students with disabilities?
Special Education Office
- How has your office collaborated with the Title II coordinator to advance districts’ purposeful use of Title II dollars to provide effective professional learning for leaders, particularly to advance effective inclusive principal leadership?
- Does your office use the PSEL standards to guide investments made from IDEA and other special education projects to support principals?
- Can you leverage funding opportunities across federal programs (e.g., IDEA, ESSA) to coordinate a focus on inclusive principal leadership practices?
- How has your office linked to/collaborated with other department efforts to support professional learning for effective inclusive principal leadership?
- How do principals in your state receive updates on special education resources, news, information, and professional learning opportunities?
- How do you engage principals to learn the questions and the needs they have in relation to supporting students with Individualized Education Programs in their schools?
- How do principals get to know families of students with disabilities to broaden their perspectives of the assets students bring along with the challenges they face?
- How do principals access resources for parent training and information centers?
- Are there any practices or models of principal professional learning that have demonstrated positive results or impact in increasing achievement for students with disabilities?
- What data is used to communicate the importance of promoting inclusive practices and equity for students with disabilities?
School Improvement Office
- What are the state’s most critical school improvement strategies and how do they address the role of school principals in creating equitable opportunities for each student to achieve—particularly students with disabilities?
- How has your office considered the needs of students with disabilities within efforts to support school improvement?
- How has your office collaborated with other departments to support professional learning for leaders to advance continuous school improvement and lead inclusive schools?
- What types of professional learning are offered through your office and to what extent do they focus on professional learning for principals? To what extent is there a focus on inclusive leadership practices?
- Who are local stakeholders and partners that support your school improvement work who might be interested in inclusive principal leadership practices?
- Is your office facilitating any research-practice partnerships to evaluate the impact and effectiveness of professional learning offerings, particularly around advancing effective inclusive principal leadership?
- How is student data (e.g., disciplinary removals, disproportionality, academic achievement) used to develop supports for leaders to lead optimal inclusive learning environments?
