Educational Inclusion and Diversity: Thoughts on Leadership in Schools

Abstract

Educational inclusion as well as the provision of rich and valuable teaching for increasingly diverse pupils are a new challenge for schools, as they put under scrutiny many of their traditional practices and demand from them an important cultural change. On that basis, the present paper is intended as a discussion of the way educational and organizational dynamics may hinder an adequate educational attention for all pupils. More specifically, it is argued that educational leadership has to be contemplated as a shared responsibility of all members of the school as it comprises curricular, organizational and educational dimensions. Leadership should therefore be articulated as a democratic and inclusive process, not limited only to those who occupy formal positions in the organization however relevant their role may be.