School management team and inclusion: the perspective of families and teachers in the Spanish context

ABSTRACT

School leaders play a key role in improving inclusion in schools. However, information on the practices promoted by headteachers to promote inclusion in their institutions is still scarce. The article analyses the degree of implementation of actions undertaken by principals to favor inclusion in compulsory education schools from the perspective of families and teaching teams. 631 families and 420 teachers from the city of Granada (Spain) participated in the research. It is a quantitative study and follows a comparative design based on survey. In order to collect information the questionnaire Leading Inclusive Education in Compulsory Education Schools was used in its two versions (LIE-Q-Teaching Team and LIE-Q-Families). The data obtained were subjected to both descriptive and inferential analysis. The results reveal that, in the opinion of teachers and families, most actions implemented by school headteachers to favor inclusion, are those that favor the opening of the school to the community and its surroundings. The study has made it possible to verify, among other things, that there are differences in the perception of the inclusion practices of school leaders in compulsory education depending on the group analyzed (family or teaching teams).

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This research has been financed by Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation under Grant [PID2019-106250RB-I00/SRA] (State Research Agency/10.13039/501100011033).

Notes on contributors

María Carmen López-López

María Carmen López-López. PhD in Pedagogy. Department of Didactics and School Organization of the Faculty of Educational Sciences of the University of Granada (Spain).

Rafael López - Fuentes

Rafael López-Fuentes. PhD in Pedagogy. Department of Research Methods and Diagnostics in Education of the Faculty of Educational Sciences of the University of Granada (Spain).

Amaya Epelde-Larrañaga

Amaya Epelde-Larrañaga. PhD in Musical Studies. Department of Didactics of Musical, Plastic and Corporal Expression of the Faculty of Education and Sports Sciences of Melilla. University of Granada (Spain).

María José Fernández-Prados

María José Fernández-Prados. Doctoral student in the Department of Didactics and School Organization of the Faculty of Educational Sciences of the University of Granada (Spain).