Principal Narratives on Including Students With Disabilities on the U.S./Mexico Border

• In Event: 28.018 - Instructional Leadership on School Quality: Critical Considerations

Abstract

A growing body of research finds that principals play are essential to creating high-quality inclusive schools. Most research on the topic, however, is racially-neutral and does not consider the daily practices and individual cases of including students with disabilities. This study uses narrative inquiry and Dis/ability Critical Race Theory (DisCrit) to examine the lived experiences of two elementary school principals considered to have successfully created inclusive schools. Each narrative uses the principal’s voice to describe their perspective on inclusive education and their efforts to transition a struggling student from a segregated placement into the general education classroom. Narratives were developed through in-depth interviews over one school year in a Latinx low-income immigrant community on the U.S.-Mexico border.

Authors

• Amy Serafini, Auburn University

• David Edward DeMatthews, The University of Texas at Austin

• Barbara L Pazey, University of North Texas

• Elena Izquierdo, The University of Texas - El Paso