Principal Leadership.

Overview & Synopsis

This issue of a quarterly publication for school principals discusses the role of principals in providing inclusive education for all students, including those with disabilities. It offers practical information on the following topics: goals in meeting the needs of special education students; effective principal behaviors in leading special education; methods of encouraging acceptance of special education students by their peers; methods of incorporating special education into the school-centered decision making model; ways to improve attendance of special education students; how principals can facilitate cooperation between regular and special education; determining what classroom techniques are effective with mainstreamed students; what behavior management strategies to use with students who have emotional disabilities; ways to help parents accept their child's special education placement; involving parents in their child's schooling; support services available for parents; improving the effectiveness of general education teachers with special education students; the appropriateness of community-based instruction; determination of the least restrictive environment; legal implications of mainstreaming for general education staff; the use of finite resources to satisfy an infinite number of special education needs; differences between integration, mainstreaming, and inclusion; a rationale for identifying students for special education and then including them in regular education classrooms; and the need for staff development. (JDD)