I Have to Teach Who? How Principals Address Resistance to Inclusion

by Aaron J. J. Engel, Ph.D. Superintendent, Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau School District

I remember a moment in my first year as a principal when one of my special education teachers advocated for inclusion for one of our ninth-grade students who had a disability. She explained that the student was in segregated, or pull-out, math but was very capable of succeeding in the general education algebra class. We decided it was best for the student’s education to challenge her academically by putting her in front of a trained math teacher in algebra with her general education peers. I naively thought this decision to promote inclusion would be easy.

The algebra teacher immediately resisted including the student in his class. “She hasn’t been in general education math for two years; she can’t do it.” “The other students will be disrupted by her outbursts when she gets upset.” “I don’t know how to teach students like her.” Upon offering a special education teacher as a co-teacher to help instruct, I heard further complaints. “I don’t want to share my classroom.” “It isn’t in my job description to teach students with disabilities.” “The way I teach works for my students and I don’t want to change.” As we tried to include students in other general education classrooms, this same experience repeated itself. As a new principal, I was amazed at the numerous obstacles that arose when trying to include students with disabilities in general education classes.

The experience of struggling as a principal to promote inclusion for students with disabilities led me to research the topic for my dissertation. I wanted to know, when implementing inclusion for students with disabilities: (a) what resistance do principals face, and; (b) what strategies do principals take in response to this resistance? I interviewed 16 principals who were working towards high levels of inclusion to learn more. From the data, I developed a theory of principal responses to inclusion of students with disabilities as shown in Figure 1.

I found that principals encounter two types of resistance: ideological resistance and technical resistance. Ideological resistance arises from inner core beliefs that are opposed to inclusion. Technical resistance arises when new skills, roles, or responsibilities are required to implement inclusion. Principals respond to these forms of resistance using ideological change strategies and technical change strategies. Ideological changes strategies are used to affect the beliefs of those resisting inclusion. Technical change strategies are used to build skills, knowledge and support for inclusive practices.

Given this framework, it seems like there would be a direct correlation between the type of resistance identified and the change strategy implemented. For example, if a teacher lacked skills to address behavior issues in the classroom, the principal could provide professional development on classroom management techniques. However, this correlation does not hold true. Principals often found the resistance that was expressed was not the actual barrier.

In the study, one principal implementing inclusion in her school experienced a teacher who told her they needed an additional paraprofessional in the classroom to manage behaviors. Through further conversation with the teacher, the principal felt the teacher advocated for this support because he believed students with disabilities would disrupt the education of other students in his classroom. In response, the principal took three approaches: referenced research showing evidence to the contrary; identified examples where other students with disabilities were successful in general education classrooms, and; worked closely with the teacher to develop a shared responsibility for all students. While the teacher expressed a need for more resources, technical resistance, the principal responded by developing support for inclusive practices, an ideological change strategy.

Figure 1: Theory of principal responses to inclusion of students with disabilities

There is clear evidence that inclusion of students with disabilities in the general education setting is best for all students - those with disabilities and those without (Hehir, 2016; National Council on Disability, 2018). Despite this evidence, as principals implement inclusive practices, they face resistance from teachers, parents and other administrators. Because of this resistance, the work of implementing inclusion is difficult, but it is a moral imperative that calls us to action. Understanding the resistance to inclusion you encounter allows you to anticipate barriers and prepare a range of change strategies to match the needs of your school, district, and community. With the application of the right strategies, we can move from segregated instruction to inclusive instruction so that all students can benefit.

References

Hehir, Thomas. (2016). A Summary of the Evidence on Inclusive Education. Cambridge, MA: Abt Associates.

National Council on Disability. (2018). IDEA Series: The Segregation of Students with Disabilities. Washington, DC: National Council on Disability.